Red
by drunkdragon
Summary: The change was sudden, painful, and horrifying. But what pains me the most is that Suzumiya Haruhi is hurting and I am to blame.
1. Prologue

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

* * *

**Prologue**

My father had started to wonder just where my cash flows to from my bank account. He works at a large banking firm, so naturally that is the company we trust with our money. As a result, he is able to keep track of family spending as well as individual spending.

At first, there were no problems. I am given a monthly allowance to cover for my own costs. Clothes, food, and school supplies are provided for by my single father. Anything else, however, is footed by me. Thankfully, I am a frivolous spender and I carefully think about the purchases before I make them.

Of course, that was before I met Suzumiya Haruhi. I am still wary with my money, but with so many bills thrust into my lap for being 'late' or for equipment, money started to be siphoned away from my account. Thankfully, however, the costs had never been high.

The issue, however, was with the frequency. I still get my own bank account statements, and it was not long before I realized I was starting to go into the red zone. I had less and less money each month. At first, the amount of money I saved each month gradually became smaller and smaller. But once I started going into the negatives, I knew that Haruhi's spending was becoming an issue.

It could be said that a journey started with but a single step. Likewise, my father quoted that debt started with owing just one yen.

"You must be careful with your money, you know."

At some point, my father decided that we needed to have a one on one chat about money.

"It may only be a small amount now and you aren't even in debt. But it is a bad habit, and with debt comes interest. Unless taken care of it will reach an uncontrollable size."

Yes, I know. But I can't quite bring myself to tell Haruhi that she's slowly eating away at my money. Her dominant attitude is already difficult to deal with.

"You've spent most of your money at drink café's, it appears. You do know that it's usually more expensive than making it yourself or buying it at a convenience store?"

One of his eyebrows rose a bit as he examined my account transactions.

"The amount per visit, it's too much for just yourself. If you have friends with you, they should be paying for their individual drinks. But… hmm…"

A small smile began to form on his lips.

"Did you get a girlfriend?"

It took a moment for it to register in my mind. But once it did I could feel the heat rise up in my cheeks.

"Excuse me?"

The rest of the conversation was unmemorable. After assuming that it was because I was in a relationship he became a bit more relaxed, believing that he found the cause. Saying that I was 'just like him' when he was young, he told me that it would be an issue I'd have to bring up to my girlfriend.

But I don't have a girlfriend. Kind of. Not officially. We haven't done anything yet. Only kissed once, and that was in our dreams.

Haruhi and I are supposed to have our first date tomorrow after our weekend class. I don't know if it will incur any expenses, but naturally I will be paying for it if there are. I'm not about to call it off but this does throw a significant hurdle into the relationship. It won't ruin it; at least I don't think so. She's not the type of girl that would give up so easily on something just because there's some sort of barrier in the way.

Still, I have to devise a way to tenderly bring up the subject.

It's getting late. I have a big day ahead of me and I need to be ready for it. Going upstairs, I brush my teeth, change, and go to bed.

Except that I don't feel tired. I tend to have difficulty sleeping on the nights before a rather important event. It's most likely anxiety over the first date I have with Haruhi tomorrow. Although it could be said that anyone would… have the same issues. It's just the fact that it's… it's Haruhi that… makes it… makes…

---

I see only her and a warm, hazy red mist that hovers around us. I move towards her. She moves towards me. Before long we wrap our arms around the other and kiss. We push our bodies together and feel each other through our uniforms, craving for the other.

I love how her skin feels… the moments where we briefly come in contact with each other with no one around… I cherish those.

Her skin is so soft under my hands… I feel her hands, her wrists…

She's soft all over her body…

All. Over. Her. Body.

But her neck…

I love her neck.

I love it when she wears a ponytail because it reveals more of her neck to me.

I lavish so much attention on it… I caress the base, I lick its front, I kiss and suckle its sides.

I linger on where I can feel her pulse. It tells me that she's alive, that she's there in front of me.

This is my favorite spot. And she knows it.

My hand travels down her side. She shivers and shakily inhales. I can feel the subtle movements of her throat under my lips.

I push up underneath her shirt, stopping short of her breast. I linger momentarily before reversing and slipping down the side of her skirt.

Her heart is beating faster, I can feel it... Her body is trembling... She doesn't resist me…

I take my hand and move it to the front of her before slipping it below her panties…

And…

… And…

---

It hurts…

There's this… continuous… continuous something, a ringing… It's getting louder… it hurts…

And she's gone.

Everything… everything is… it's such a… a thick blue fog… and cold…

I can't think… can't see… can't breathe… the air freezes me from the inside…

My legs… something around my legs… need… need to get free…

… I hit something… the floor… my body… it hurts so much…

I see something… a soft glow… golden… soothing…

It's in some sort of… container… sloshing around…

I reach for it…

It moves away. Come back! I vigorously stretch and reach and claw for it… I must have it!

It continues to scurry, but eventually I grab it. It fights back, but a swift hit silences it.

There is no visible opening. I vigorously pry at it and golden beads begin to spill onto the ground. I lift it to my lips and begin to drink.

It's warm and sweet. It goes down smoothly. The ringing begins to die down and the pain fades away. I suck at it, needing more of the water of life. I lap up the droplets from the ground. The foggy blue starts to disappear, being replaced slowly with natural colors. It's no longer cold now.

Was it a dream?

My breathing is heavy, but relieved. The ringing is still there, but it's nothing special. Looking around, it's coming from my clock. I get up from the ground and walk to it.

It's a bit after seven in the morning. Time to get ready for school. I shut it off.

When I pull my hand back from it, I leave a bloody hand print on it.

My heart jumps and I scream a bit. I look at my palm and it's smeared with blood. I look at the other and realize that it's no different. I turn around and see a furry, bloody mess on the ground next to my tangled sheets.

It's Shamisen. It has a vicious opening near its neck and its head lay dangling at a disgusting angle. I can feel something rising in the back of my throat.

"Kyon-kun!"

I turn to see the door burst open. It's my sister.

"Kyon-kun, it's time to-" she stops and stares at me. The blood on my hands, my clothes, my lips. I can feel her staring into my eyes, surprised. Her mouth hangs wide for a moment…

Before twisting into a happy, fanged smile. She runs out the door and quickly goes down the stairs.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Fangs?

"It's happened! Kyon-kun can-"

I feel sick.

"Kyon-kun can drink blood now!" She sounds so delighted at the fact. "He's one of us!"

…One of us?

That feeling, that sick feeling, it gets worse. I stumble towards the bathroom door, leaving smears of blood on everything I touch. I hastily force it open and enter, moving towards the toilet.

But I can't get there in time. I opt for the next best thing: the sink.

I barely make it. A stream of red leaves my mouth, tasting disgustingly sweet and sour at the same time. More comes out, again and again until it's only dry heaves.

I look up into the mirror and wish I didn't. There's blood all over the front of my clothes. My lips are stained a deep red.

I can see a pair of sharp, elongated fangs.

My legs start to give away and I begin to move away from the sink. I try to regain my balance, but the whole room is seems to spin. I hear footsteps coming through the hallway.

Eventually I fall to my knees. I see my sister again, still widely smiling like it's the best day of her life. After that my vision fades.

I hear my father's voice. It's a bit… happy.

…

He says that if I faint, I will be 'just like him' when he was younger.

Like father like son they say. I suppose I'm no different. For the second time this morning, the floor delivers a harsh greeting to my face, except this time I won't be getting up for a while.

* * *

Hello again, everyone. I don't exactly know how this came about, but I do know that I enjoy writing darker stories. Not everything is bright and green, nor will it work itself out in the end, which is why it seems so appealing at times. It's more challenging to write, and I've never exactly done something along this genre before. I intend for this to be a horror/humor/romance type of story so I don't know what I'm getting into; it's unfamiliar territory for me. But it's still enjoyable.

Until next time.


	2. Chapter 1

Hello again, everyone. I know this may seem like a quick update, but in reality I didn't finish this chapter so quickly. What I did was that I wrote the prologue and the first chapter before putting the story up. I am, however, continuing this trend by having written chapter two already. Maybe it's good luck to do so.

Response time:

kinda?: Yes, everything matters. The reason why it may seem so random, however, is that the opening portion was originally supposed to be a part of another fic. It never grew past that. The dream was supposed to have been the start of this fic but then I decided to edit them and put the two together to make it easier on myself as well as giving me more tools to work with. You can almost call it cheating.

uzukun7: Some lines I think of and put in, others just happen. The ponytail thing was an in the moment idea that fit the spot nicely. Also, I kill the cat because it never plays much importance after they make their movie, I think. I could have used an OC, but then the story would have been harder to put together.

Arty Esbee d'Arc: Yeah, it's a step away from what I normally do. I purposely left the top empty sans disclaimer and my traditional way of starting the story. I feel like I've seen your name somewhere before...

Guybrush007: I think I once searched for the word vampire in the Haruhi section of this site, but I don't think I came up with anything. I think this could be the first of its kind in this area of fandom.

Toeblart: Indeed, there wasn't exactly a lot of build-up. But what I wanted was the shock factor. Also, I don't think I'll be going for gory stuff. There will be blood, yes, but I don't think I'll be adding mutilation or something.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

* * *

Chapter 1

I wake up. My body snaps upright and my breathing is heavy. I am fully awake.

I'm in my room. My eyes keep scanning around. Nothing looks out of the ordinary. There is no blood. The clock reads that it's seven in the morning. My clothes are clean. The only thing missing is Shamisen, but I'm not worried about it. He doesn't stay in my room overnight frequently.

It was so real. The pain in my body was real. The comfort that blood brought me was real. My sister's fangs, those… those were… real.

I shakily move my tongue to feel my own teeth. I glide it down my canines. They feel sharper and longer than normal. My heart pounds at the realization.

There is a knock on the door.

I cautiously walk up to it. My hand shakes as I grip the knob and slowly open it. I don't know what to expect and I'm scared.

"Ah, I see that you are awake." It's my father. "There is no doubt that you have a lot of questions about what is going on."

I make a small nod. My mouth opens to say something, but in the end I remain silent.

He leaves the doorway. "Come downstairs. We'll discuss it over something to drink." It is an order. Closing the door, I follow him down the stairs and take a seat at the kitchen table. It is not long before an opened cold bottle of beer is set down in front of me. I stare at it.

"Normally I would condone underage drinking. I would also offer you something to eat." He sits down in front of me. "I doubt you are hungry, however, and there are also times when I would slip minors alcohol. This is one of them."

I also do not approve of it, nor do I like the taste. Despite my views, I take it and begin to drink.

"Now then, what do you want to know?"

"… Am I a vampire?"

"Yes. You are able to derive sustenance from food and water, but it will only last so long before you will crave blood."

"…So then… the cat. I… I killed it, right?"

"Yes, you did kill the cat. It wasn't in your room originally, but I placed it inside because I had a particular feeling that what happened that night would happen."

I take another drink.

"The way vampirism works, for us at least, is that it is passed down within the family. It is possible to turn someone into a vampire but it is highly discouraged against. It usually awakens about a year after a person is born, but sometimes it is dormant and awakens later. I was a bit worried about when you would change, as this is very late compared to other times in this family."

"… Does Mom know this?"

"Ah, that brings me back to what I said about turning someone into a vampire. The only time when you should do it is when you're sure you've met your significant other."

"So then she's a… a vampire too then."

"Indeed."

"… How did you keep this secret from me for so long?"

He smiled. "We simply raised you as a normal child. Because your mother and I have been vampires for a long time, we have more control over when we need blood. Your sister became one shortly after she was born and we've helped her manage the changes. It was easy to hide because it simply looked like parents just taking care of their child."

I can feel my cheeks becoming warm. "What exactly are the changes?" I take another drink

"Besides the fact that your canines are now longer, sharper and, once you've been taught, retractable at will, you are now a bit stronger and faster than you once were and you are less likely to catch any sort of illness. You also recover from injuries and sicknesses at a faster rate. It is not super human strength, per se, but it is a significant jump. Over time it will develop and you will become stronger."

"How much stronger?"

"Your younger sister can crush stones by enclosing them with her hand."

I finish off the bottle. "Besides strength, what else am I capable of?"

"You are able to see better at night or when it is fairly dark; you need less light to see clearly. Also, you will be able to see living beings as gold glowing objects when you want to. I will teach you how to focus it at will later."

"Any weaknesses?"

He leaned back a bit. "I wouldn't really call them weaknesses. In the end you are as fragile as a human. You can still be killed in a myriad of ways, but it just takes more of it to do so."

"…Garlic, water, and rosaries? Sunlight?"

"Mere fiction, as well as any super powers you may read about." He stands up and takes the empty bottle away. He washes it and puts it into the recycling. "Now, you probably have more questions but I will answer them later. You have to get ready for school."

"…" I do have more, but there is now one pressing one that I must ask. "You gave me alcohol before school?"

"My father did the same to me."

"That doesn't mean you should do it too!" I stand up and begin to head up to my room.

"Before you go and get ready," he walks over to me, "take this with you." He hands me a sealed plastic bag with a small piece of uncooked meat.

"What's this for?"

"Since you've only turned now, you can't control your need for blood as well. Eat it in addition to your lunch, whether you feel like you need it or not. It does not contain very much blood, but a little bit of it goes a long way."

"…" I stare at it, uneasy. "…What if it goes bad?" For some reason, it looks… appetizing.

"It will be okay. Trust me." He also hands me a sterile mask. "I don't have time to teach you now, but you can't show your fangs to the school, obviously. Wear it."

"What will I tell the teachers?"

"Tell them you have a cold."

I say no more. Another sentence out of my lips and I'd be late. I run up and get dressed. Grabbing my school bag, I rush back down to grab my lunch from the refrigerator.

Except it's not there. Normally I prepare it the night before, but… wait. I look around and spot my father reading the morning papers.

"How long has it been since I… changed?"

"You were out for two days. It is now Monday morning."

Monday? "Shit!"

"Watch your language and be sure to come straight back after class. You need to temporarily limit your exposure due to your recent change."

It looks like lunch will have to be out of my pocket today, but if I can't convince Haruhi that I did catch a cold then I'm sure that my bank account won't be the only thing turning red. I take some slices of bread to eat on the way before heading out. I'll just put on my mask before I get too close to school.

There are now a total of two, and possibly three things that I must talk to Haruhi about: why I didn't make it to the date, money, and this whole vampirism thing.

---

Some of the students stare at me with a small smirk of amusement as I quickly make my way to the classroom.

Wearing a sterile mask to prevent others from catching a cold obviously carries only good intentions. In fact, sterile masks are a common accessory during the flu and cold season, regardless of whether the person wearing it is actually sick.

However, it is in the middle of May. Flu and cold season is long over. I realized this as I was moving through the corridors when people were staring at me. I need to come up with a decent replacement before I get to my classroom.

But I can only think of what Haruhi will say to me when I arrive, or if she will even talk to me at all. In all the times that I have been late for any one meeting, I have never been two days late. After our classes, we were supposed to meet up an hour later at the station the SOS Brigade gathers at. She said she had plans on what we were going to do, but it's obviously unimportant anymore.

I arrive at my classroom and open the sliding door. The rest of the class is seated, save the person who normally sits in front of my seat. Everyone is looking at me, including the teacher. Looks like I arrived before they marked me absent.

The room is filled with silence.

"… Present." I say the customary phrase indicating that I'm here, even if it's something only elementary students do. The room shifts with some side glances and I can see a few smirks going through the crowd.

"At the very least, you're not late," the teacher says.

The teacher and I are on acceptable terms, but I wouldn't say that he's the friendliest person to his students. He's known for being strict and unyielding at times, especially when it comes to dealing with tardiness. Since he said I wasn't late, I'm mostly off the hook already.

"You'll have to explain to me why you weren't here on Saturday, though."

"Uh… I…" can't use cold here… "I caught a slightly contagious… sickness." Saying the word disease would cause everyone to panic.

"I see. What's it called?" Looks like he's not satisfied yet.

"It's kind of hard to remember… uh…" I'm stalling for time here. Quick! What's the first color I see in the room?

The males are wearing green, so… But I can't use the traditional way to say it either…

"Well?"

I'll leave out a part and extend a vowel. "I think it was called Guuri…coccus."

"If it's contagious, why are you here then?"

"I've recovered from it, mostly. The doctor said that I could come to class and it's not very contagious anymore… But! She prescribed some antibiotics to me. My immune system is still a bit weak."

"I see. Your cheeks are a bit flushed."

"… Side effects of the antibiotics."

"Mhm…" Is it over?

"…"

"Well, it was only a short absence anyway, so I suppose it's nothing serious. Go take your seat."

Yes! Now, to find a way to deal with-

"Suzumiya Haruhi."

Just as her name is called, I realize that the seat she occupies is empty. I find myself frozen for a moment before taking my seat. I know why she's absent. I should be relieved that I don't have to deal with the issue now and I don't have to face that awkwardness of her displeasure with me while sitting behind me. However, it makes approaching the issue more difficult.

Haruhi would be the first girl I ever really found myself taking any sort of interest in, even if it is somewhat forced. I don't have to compete for her affection either, because no other male (maybe even peer) would really approach her with the intent of seeking any sort of relationship that went beyond platonic. And Koizumi is… Koizumi. Given his position in what he actually does, I doubt he would try to make a move on her. Not to mention that almost everyone knows that, while it's not official, there is something between the two of us.

Speaking of Koizumi, there is the entire issue of dealing with the rest of the SOS Brigade. But it will have to wait.

---

It's lunch time now. After purchasing something from the cafeteria, I realize that I need to head somewhere secluded to eat so others do not see my fangs. Naturally, if I needed to be alone for any reason, I would have gone to the club room. However, I would rather not take the risk of exposing myself while eating in their presence. I have no idea whether they know of what has happened, nor the exact reason as to why this has happened.

If this is indeed something Haruhi has caused, then the other members would know something about the situation. A solution, even a temporary one, can then be found and hopefully I would be able to turn back to normal.

But if it is not and my family's secret is true… I don't want to think about it. My relationship with Haruhi would be the least of my worries. It would, however, explain my neck fixation.

I'm on the rooftop, seated behind the entrance structure so I'm not in plain sight. Not many people come here and I can eat in peace. As I slowly eat, I'm reminded of the piece of meat my father gave me. It lingers on my mind, remembering how it seemed so appetizing when he first gave it to me.

Is this what I've become now? Have people become a potential meal to me? I still remember how I… killed Shamisen. I'm thankful that the first instance was with something that holds little consequence, but I cannot imagine what would have happened if my father had not slipped him in.

I pull out the piece of meat my father gave me. It's no longer cold but it has not lost its appetizing look. I'm unsure of whether it is the meat or the blood that makes it look good; I know only that my mind tells me that I want to eat it. My hands shake a bit as I undo the-

I hear the roof door open. I quickly place it in my pocket. If I can't eat it here, then I'll leave it there so I can eat it when I get the first chance. I put my mask back on.

"I had a feeling I would find you here." It's Koizumi. For him to seek me out would mean that there is something serious that he wishes to discuss.

"I was hoping for some peace and quiet while I ate my lunch. How did you find me?"

"It would have to be the fact that you are not very hard for me to find when you must be found." His tone is serious.

"What warrants the occasion then?"

"I have told you that Closed Spaces occur when Suzumiya-san is mentally unstable, no?"

"…" I can see where he's getting at. "How bad is it?"

"Since Saturday, they have been occurring almost non-stop throughout the area."

"…"

"As you know, you play a vital role in the stability of her mental state. You hold the greatest influence over her in almost any way, shape, or form."

"… Are you saying that I'm to blame?"

"I would never accuse you of something so blatantly."

Maybe, but you are thinking it. "What would you have me do then? Babysit her?"

"That is perhaps the best choice of action to take."

I sigh, knowing where the rest of this conversation will go. I close my eyes. It's almost always the same thing, and he knows that I've heard this countless times already.

"With great power comes great responsibility. Think of yourself as an advisor to the king or, perhaps more precisely, the Cabinet members of the President. While you may hold little power yourself through your position, your relationship with the one in power is your greatest tool."

I know that I have to clean up after my own mess, but I don't need you telling me. It's not like I had much say in what was going to happen anyway. "I suppose I can't just say that I caught a sickness, can I?"

"It is a valid option, no doubt, but you will have to supplement it."

Supplement, huh…

"Well, now that you know the situation, I must return to my duties and you must tend to yours. Please do your best."

Duties? I open my eyes to just in time to see the last of his body disappear into thin air.

Perhaps I should get on with my own as well. I remove my mask. Taking out the bag, I open it and cautiously lift the meat to my mouth, taking a small bite.

…

It's good. In a sense it melts in my mouth, very different from regular meat. It tastes faintly sweet, most likely from the blood. I take a larger bite and it's not long before I finish it.

I feel disgusted at the same time.

Tossing the bag into a nearby trashcan, I wipe my lips and don my mask again. I reach into my other pocket and pull out my cell phone. My best option would be to call her. But as I open my phone, I see that I have three messages waiting for me. All of them are from Haruhi.

I wonder why I didn't check the moment I realized I missed our date. I quickly dial for my voice box. After inputting my pass code, I wait, my heart pounding at my chest.

"First voice message."

"Oi, Kyon!"

Her voice brings a bit of relief to me, particularly because it sounds angry. In a sense I deserve this.

"I'm at the station, but you're more than fifteen minutes late! Weren't you the one who suggested that we should have a date in the first place? You better get here quick or… or…" her voice drifts off. I expect her to use the word penalty somewhere, but perhaps her mind is set on a different thing. "Anyway, jus get here soon!"

It sounds like her on a normal day when I'm late for something. But it's because she sounds normal that makes me worry about the second and third messages.

"Next voice message."

"Kyon, it's been about an hour since we were supposed to meet up." I begin to bite my lip, but my fangs remind me that it is a bad idea. "You haven't returned my first call, nor have you shown up. I'm still waiting here on you." Her voice is no longer angry. It's just calm.

Just calm makes me worry. I'm not used to her voice being so placid.

"Next voice message."

I brace myself, but it still catches me off entirely off guard. Anything she could have said or done would be better than what I hear now.

She says nothing. Instead, I only hear her crying on the other end. She keeps trying to put together coherent sentences, but she can barely string together two syllables. If I wasn't sitting already, I would have fallen on my knees.

I know she's hurt. I know that I'm the one at fault, even though it is something that is beyond my control. My other hand tightens into a fist.

I don't like seeing or hearing girls cry. It always made me uncomfortable. But this is the first time that it made me hate myself. When I see it happen to other girls, I always found myself moving away from the situation. It didn't involve me; there was no reason for me to try and fix it.

But I can't run away here. Fleeing now would mean that not only am I not improving the situation, but I would be going against my own desires. I don't know what to do about my sudden development. But I do know that I like Haruhi.

I unclench my fist. I can't let my anger get to me.

I don't know how to approach this situation. But I do know that I will approach it.

I hang up and begin to dial her number, but realize that class is about to start again. I don't want to be late again and risk angering the teacher, even though it means that I won't be talking to Haruhi yet. Perhaps it is better this way, as it gives me an opportunity to figure out just what to say. I walk around to the roof door before opening it and going down the stairs. I start thinking about why my family is made up of vampires.

If what Koizumi says is true, then that would mean that what transpired or, to be more precise, what did not transpire on Saturday most likely was something that Haruhi did not want. With her ability to bend reality to her will, it is difficult to guess at what exactly she willed into or out of existence. What she wants to happen will happen.

But at the same time, I know that there are instances where it does not occur, whether for one reason or another. During the time when we were reliving those two weeks in August over and over again, Nagato said that through the many repetitions there were times when we did not participate in a particular activity. While this may not mean that her power is not absolute all the time, what it can mean is that there may be an instance where what she wants is not clear cut. This could then result in situations where an anomaly is created.

She may have wanted my family to have an interesting background, for example. But she didn't know what that 'interesting background' should be. Then, something from her subconscious, something that she didn't even know she wanted, would then create the situation that my family is secretly made up of vampires.

And because this is something passed on by genetics according to my father, it is only natural for me to turn into one as well.

But there are too many factors for this to be such a clear-cut answer. There's always more than what meets the-

"Oi, Kyon!"

It's Taniguchi. I turn to face the direction of his voice. He's running down the hallway. "What is it?"

"The class president wants to talk to you after classes end today. It's-"

"I know, I know," the president usually approaches me for one reason only. "It's Haruhi related, isn't it?"

"Yup. Speaking of Haruhi…" he walks over and leans in. "Is it true that you two started dating?" he says in a lower tone.

"… I don't know where you hear of these things." Whenever Taniguchi approaches me with such a question, it is best left unanswered. "You've been asking me this question ever since second year."

"Come on, everyone knows that you have the hots for her! And more importantly, she has the hots for you." He nudges my shoulder. "You should make some moves on her while you're visiting." He winks at me. "You might even get lucky."

"…I doubt that I'll be getting the opportunity any time soon or that I'll have luck on my side."

* * *

I'm not sure if this really counts as horror though, as it's not exactly terrifying but rather works with elements that are often associated with horror. Still, I will leave the genre as is. It may get horrifying later I suppose.


	3. Chapter 2

Hey guys, I'm a bit slower than last time, but it's here! College will be taking it's toll once again, but hopefully it won't get in the way of too much.

Response time:

SgtHydra: Maybe it isn't continuing in the right way, but there's no way to tell right now. Also, about Kyon still going to school and trying to act normal, I feel that it is perfectly fine that way. Think about his family. They have no fabled magic powers and they want to stay hidden from the rest of the world. They've been keeping up the charade for a long time now. By doing their best to appear normal, they don't attract attention to themselves. That was the reasoning behind my choice.

kinda?: I put it in there because it was a jarring and sudden change from Kyon's normal life. Considering how the prologue focuses on the shock factor, I felt that it was appropriate. As for Haruhi being OOC there isn't much evidence that points to that, at least evidence that I haven't found. We have never seen, to my knowledge, a moment in time when Haruhi is sad and heartbroken. Also, we do see her rely on her anger as a tactic to get him to come soon. In fact, it's the first thing she does. If you wish to discuss more, feel free to IM me so I can answer you quickly. I feel terrible that I can only answer your questions after each update when they are never at a fixed interval.

BloodSoakedEnigma: Of course it's grammaRically incorrect. But on more serious terms, I double-check and often triple-check my work before it's uploaded, in addition to sending it to a self-proclaimed grammar nazi. There should be no issues with grammar.

Hikaru1223: I'm sorry, but I do not intend to do a double update. I did not explicitly say that I intended to. In fact, the only time when I did do a double update, I do not remember announcing it at all. What most likely confused you was how I'm currently writing this story. When I put the prologue up, it was not when I first finished it. I put it up when I finished chapter one. When I put chapter one up, chapter two was already complete. Since I'm putting up chapter two, this means that I've already written chapter three. Again, I'm sorry if I misled you.

Arty Esbee d'Arc: Ha, shortly after I put up chapter one, I looked into my favorite authors section and there you were. I felt like an idiot. I don't remember which story I read from you, however, but I'm pretty sure it was a SHnY one. As for Kyon not being very worried, I feel like we never see him panic for extended periods of time. He panics once (which took place in the prologue), and then doesn't really seem worry too hard afterward. He'll panic at certain instances (we see this at the island portion in season one) and then find a way to work it out. In the end, he just seems to take it easy. He does worry, however, which I try to portray in addition to his daily activities.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

* * *

Chapter 2

Whenever someone wants to give or receive something from Suzumiya Haruhi, they always come to me. It is as if they consider me the only middle man available to do the job. Perhaps it is because no one else wants to deal with her. Perhaps it is because they know that I am the only one she will take seriously.

The president asked that I deliver today's notes and handouts to Haruhi after class. I have done this before on days that she's been sick or absent for other reasons. I am familiar with the path to her house.

I also asked why she, as the class president, could not do it herself. Her reason was that she had class representative responsibilities that day.

In short, it was her way of saying that she didn't want to do it.

That is why I am now on my way to where she lives. It could be said that by accepting the president's request, or perhaps order, I have put myself on the warpath with Haruhi. I have thought about whether it was the best choice of action or not. Even if it is the poorer choice, it is the best option available to me. Putting this off will only make the situation worse, not just for me but for the SOS Brigade in general. I know that my father told me to go home immediately, but I cannot shirk my duties.

Speaking of the brigade, the reason why I am not at the club room is because I have to deliver the papers. I do not know if the other three are there out of habit. Koizumi is most likely away on a break or fighting more ethereal giants. Asahina-san might know that both the leader and I will not show up today but will still attend out of respect, meaning that she will be serving tea, in her maid outfit no less, only to Nagato. And Nagato is Nagato; she is probably reading a long novel.

Speaking of Nagato, I need to talk to her soon. She is, among the brigade members, perhaps the most sensible person to talk to who also makes the most sense. Maybe she knows something that would help make clear up the situation. Maybe there is even a way to reverse it. The only problem is that I don't exactly know when I will be able to talk to her. All I know that if she has something very important to tell me, she almost always takes the initiative to meet up with me.

Before I can think of anything else, I realize that I'm outside of Haruhi's house now. It's got two windows on top and a vertical iron gate between two walls.

It looks like a skull. Under normal conditions, I doubt that I would realize this. In fact, this is the first time I have ever thought of it in such a manner. It is strange too, as this look is fairly common among the neighboring houses. Perhaps it is the manifestation of my fear and apprehensiveness of the situation in an attempt to make myself retreat from it, a survival tactic of sorts.

I see the intercom button and shakily raise my hand. For a moment, I can't bring myself to press it. My brain maddens its effort to keep me from pressing it.

But I know that I must push on. And push on, I will. In a burst of will my hand shoots forward, pressing it down.

I hear a faint snap. Pulling my hand back, I notice a tiny seam of a crack in the middle of where I pressed it and I wince.

I forget that I am now slightly stronger than people of my particular build. Earlier on the way here, I kicked a rock and-

"This is the Suzumiya residence."

It's Haruhi's voice. And it's calm. Two things which I feel do not go together. It is as wrong as one plus one equating to a window.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"…What?"

I remove my mask. "It's me."

"Oh." I hear the intercom shut off.

She should be coming for the door. She'll be out in any moment now and then we'll have the argument of our life.

…

Any moment…

…

I press the button again.

"This is the Suzumiya residence."

"Haruhi, I want to-"

It shuts off again.

I know that if I try again, she simply won't respond. But I have to talk to her.

I look back at the wall surrounding the front of her house. It's about a foot taller than me. I could probably climb over it…

…

Technically that would be breaking and entering.

…

But I'm desperate. I back off to the other side of the street and lean against a wall similar to the one surrounding Haruhi's place. I cross my arms and put the sole of one foot against the wall behind me, giving the impression that I'm waiting for her to come out.

I make sure that it is absolutely devoid of people. With a running start, I dash across the street and leap.

I leap too high, or maybe not high enough. The area above my knee comes in contact with the top o the wall, causing me to flip. I try to stop myself by pushing against the wall, but because more than half my body cleared the wall it does nothing. The flip continues and I fall towards the hard concrete. Luckily I land on my back, but my body hurts all over.

I let out a low groan as I get up. I had the wind knocked out of me, so I lower my mask again to breathe a bit easier. Once it returns to normal, I put it back on. I feel the back of my head, the point where it hit the floor. It feels dry, so that means I'm not bleeding.

Can I even bleed anymore?

I make my way to the front door and knock. I do not hesitate because I am past the point of hesitation. Having leapt over the wall, I find that there is no way for me to back out now.

It opens to almost halfway. I see Haruhi looking at me with her golden eyes from the side of the door. It's a mix of pain and sadness.

I don't really know how to start this conversation. "…Hey."

She says nothing. A moment later, she begins to close the door.

"Haruhi, wait!" I quickly stick my foot in the door opening. The door closes against it, but it doesn't hurt. "I want to talk about Saturday."

"… If it's just excuses, I don't want to hear it."

"Look," I'm losing her. I have to say something. "What happened on Saturday was beyond my control."

"And you couldn't call me beforehand? Or pick up your damn phone?" She's getting a bit angry, which I guess is good in the long run.

"I caught an unusually bad sickness that day. Guuricoccus."

"… I've never heard of it before."

"Neither have I until Saturday." Hopefully I can embellish it in a believable manner. "I was out for the entire day. I vaguely remember getting out of bed when my little sister came in, but that's all. She said that I just got up, wobbled around a bit, and then collapsed. The doctor who came over identified it but also wondered why it was so severe." I don't know if she believes any of this, but I keep going. "They say that severe cases are very rare, but if treated quickly then the situation stabilizes. I woke up last night, but I was still a bit delirious so my father put me back to sleep. I got up again early this morning and convinced my dad to let me go to school. That's why I have this mask. But right when I was about to leave, I discovered that it was actually Monday. I haven't been able to talk to you until now."

"…"

"…" Please believe me.

"…"

"…"

"… That must be one of the most bold-faced lies I've ever heard."

"But-" she moves away from the door. My foot is free, but she's out of sight. I quickly enter and remove my shoes before following her up the stairs. "Wait!"

"All you have are excuses! And they're all lies!" she shouts back at me before continuing up. I get the feeling that she wants to lock herself away in her room. If she makes it, my job is going to be infinitely harder.

"Then what do you want me to say?" I'm taking two steps at a time up, but she's almost at the top.

"Why would it matter? You don't even care about this relationship!"

She's almost outside her door. I dash up and hook my biceps beneath her shoulders and lift her off the ground. I notice that she is wearing her pajamas while it is already late in the afternoon and that her hair is in a bit of a mess. I hope that she's been eating or doing something during these past two days.

"Let go of me!" she begins to flail and kick. She hits me at times, but they don't hurt that much. At least, they don't hurt enough to make me drop her. "You don't even say that you're sorry! I waited… I waited hours for you out there!"

I can hear her voice beginning to crack a bit. Perhaps I'm making some headway here.

"You're absolutely worthless! I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to go out on a date with you!" She begins to act up even more. "I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

Each repetition stings, but I remain steadfast. I keep holding onto her.

"You're a terrible failure of a boyfriend!" her voice keeps trembling and soon she starts to snivel. "You can't even make the first date!"

She's not flailing as much now, but she's beginning to cry. She repeatedly insults me, calls me names. I hear words that I never thought I would hear her say. But as she continues, she begins to tire out. It's not long before she's just sobbing, having run out of things to say.

This would be the second time that I have made Suzumiya Haruhi cry. I don't like it when she cries.

I set her back down on her feet. She doesn't try to move away from me. I move in front of her and hold her hands with mine, bringing them up in between us.

"Haruhi."

She looks at me. I don't see anger anymore. Just pain and tears.

"I know that what I said before is hard to believe. In fact, I didn't expect you to believe me. If you think I'm lying, if you think that I'm covering up for something else, then I'm genuinely sorry. But whether you believe me or not, there is one thing that I want to make clear between us. This relationship means a lot to me. I missed the first date because of something that is beyond my control and it bothers me. When I heard your third message, it was terrible because I knew I hurt you, something I never wanted to do."

I make sure that I'm looking into her eyes and squeeze her hands.

"Don't ever catch yourself saying, or even thinking, that I don't care about this relationship."

She remains silent. Slowly, she begins to snivel and I can see tears going down her face again. I let go of her hands and hug her close to me. She begins to cry again, but this time into my shirt. We say nothing to each other. I just hold onto her as she continues to cry until there she can't cry anymore.

When it's all over, I speak. "Do you feel better now?"

She only nods.

"Come on, let's wash your face now." I guide her to the bathroom and turn on the warm water. When it gets hot, I soak a hot towel in it and gently wash her face with it. If I don't do this now, Haruhi's eyes will be puffy later.

I then softly dry her face. "How are you feeling?"

"… Tired."

"Let's put you to bed then." I hold her hand and lead her back to her room. She climbs into her bed and I tuck her in.

There's nothing left to do now.

"Well, I guess I'll head back home now." I put the handouts on her desk. "These are today's notes and papers from class. Go through them when you wake up, okay?" I begin to turn around, but I feel her tug at the back of my uniform.

"Stay… Stay with me until I fall asleep… okay?" she has a small blush on her. I don't know if it's from the crying or embarrassment or something else.

I'm really pushing it now. "…Only if you promise to come to class tomorrow."

She nods. Pulling up her desk chair, I sit down on it and hold her hand. We stare at each other, as if expecting the other to say something.

Eventually, she breaks the silence. "What you said back there, about how you view this relationship," she asks softly.

"What about it?" I gently squeeze her hand. It's soft…

"Do you… do you really mean it?"

I smile a bit. I don't know if she can recognize it by the way my mask or face muscles move. "I asked you out first, didn't I?" I stroke her hand a bit. "Don't worry over it so much. I know that, from time to time, you will doubt me. But… just try to believe me during those times, okay?"

"… Alright then."

I feel myself smile wider. "I suppose now would have been the time to kiss you. But considering the facts, I'll save it for another time."

Her cheeks turn to a deeper red. She closes her eyes and smiles. "Have it ready by tomorrow."

We say nothing more after that. I sit and admire how beautiful she looks until I am sure that she is asleep. Gently letting go, I quietly rise from the seat and put it back before leaving the room. Closing the door behind me, I head down stairs and put on my shoes before leaving.

I wish there was some way to lock the door, but it's impossible for me. Looking out, I see the gate. I don't know how to operate it, however, so I will have to opt for the wall again. This time, instead of going for a running jump, I grab hold of the top before jumping and lifting myself over.

It looks like today has been productive. While I still have the issue of money to deal with, it's better to put it off for another day.

I better get back home.

As I begin to walk, I go over the event. I would like to say that I have succeeded not only in preserving the relationship but also in restoring a bit of balance to the world. I do not know if it was the best or only way for it to turn out, but I am generally pleased by it.

I was also very close to her neck throughout the entire situation. I could see every little change, from the beat of her heart to the small changes brought by her speech. A part of me wanted to feel her neck, to caress it and love it, but I know that it was better to not act on the particular instinct. But still…

Well, it matters not anyway, I have dreamed of it many times before, and I believe I will dream of it again. I suppose I still-

A sudden yank pulls me behind a concrete wall. For a moment, I'm disoriented and a bit scared until I hear a voice.

"Trespassing, are we? That's a quite a hefty fine you'll have to pay, as well as some time you'll have to serve."

I sigh and smile at the same time. "Taniguchi, you're probably the last person I expected to see."

"I'm just watching over one of my best friend's first real encounter with the dangers of women." He smiles back at me.

Dangers of women? He doesn't even know the half of it. "Dangers? I was just delivering today's notes and handouts to her. No such danger at all." I start back on my path with Taniguchi walking at my side. "She wasn't answering her intercom, so I had to do some… breaking and entering to get her to open the door."

"Yeah, some breaking and entering – into her heart."

I can't help but smirk.

"So, how'd it go?"

It's going to be tough coming up with all the lies I'm about to tell him. He knows they're all lies also, which is why he finds it fun to ask me these questions all the time. It is probably also why I'm so good at conjuring up quick excuses.

It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted from me.

---

In the end, we ended up going by Taniguchi's house before returning to mine.

In terms of its shape from each other on a map, it looks a bit like a kite. My house is the blunter end and directly across from the school. Taniguchi and Haruhi's house are opposite of each other and are closer to me than they are to the school.

In short, I took the long way back home. And my dad is not too happy about it.

There is a glass with some clear blood in it. Before my father started grilling me on why I was late, he gave it to me.

That weight from before comes crashing back down. While I may have saved my relationship, it does not remove the issue about my transformation and need of blood. I know that any blood, as long as the amount is sufficient, will satisfy me. But that could mean that certain types of blood may have a higher quality than others, meaning that I will need more of it to fulfill me.

Taking the glass, I down it in one gulp. It's delicious. But I still feel sick and twisted that I have come to rely on this for sustenance.

"So let me get this straight. This Haruhi girl didn't show up to class today. The class president wasn't able to find anyone else to do it, so he or she asks you to do the job."

"Yes." Please don't refer to her as 'This Haruhi girl'.

"And then after you deliver the papers, you ran into your friend Taniguchi and ended up walking to his place before _finally_ returning?"

"Yes." I found that it's wise not to lie to my parents. They almost always seem to know when I'm lying, as if I've got some sort of tell going about on my face.

"And somehow, with all this stuff going on, you didn't find the time to tell your girlfriend that you need to spend less money?"

"… In all honesty, we were supposed to have our first date on Saturday. Considering how I missed it and could not respond to her at all during the time afterward, I was hardly in a position to talk about money. I had to convince her that I caught a incapacitating disease, which I also recovered very quickly from. I still don't think she believes me entirely."

"Hmph. I suppose that's a good enough reason. But you better take care of it soon."

At the very least, my father is reasonable – at times. I still don't quite forgive him for giving me alcohol before school.

"Regardless, it's time you started learning how to retract your fangs."

Good, that way I don't have to wear this damned mask.

"Because we've been a generation of vampires, the ability to do so has been ingrained in your mind. It could be said that you just don't know that you can do it." He pulls out a chopping board and puts it down in front of me.

I notice that it has another set of bite marks on it. I think it's my sister's.

"You're going to bite down until you feel it pull begin to pull back. Afterward, it should be easy to replicate the movement. After all, it's something that's been genetically handed down."

Is it really something so easy? I pick up the board. It's wooden, perhaps to make it a bit easier. I still can't believe that I'm really about to do this.

I'm going to be the equivalent of a beaver until I can get my teeth to retract. Great.

It can't be that hard, can it?

Taking the board, I bite onto the corner, expecting me to retract my fangs.

"You have to bite harder than that," my father says.

"… How much harder?"

"Enough to push your teeth in. Look at the other marks on it, specifically how deep they are. Your sister had to bite that hard just so she can start retracting her teeth."

The indents are about a centimeter deep.

"You may have to go harder. She was younger at the time, so her teeth were different."

My teeth are going to be sore after this. Very, very sore.

"Try to be quick. You still need to learn how to focus your eyesight. Otherwise, it will only occur when you need blood."

I never knew being a vampire would take so much work.

* * *

Yup, it will probably get closer to horror later. We'll just have to wait and see.


	4. Chapter 3

Hello again, everyone. It's only been three and a half weeks since I've updated, so I say that's a good thing. I've managed to stay on top of college's demands while writing this story; I'm doing a better job at keeping a steady update cycle (although I don't update everything, sadly).

Selofain: I have just looked up the word frivolous and indeed you are correct. Good eye.

BloodSoakedEnigma: Slow and steady wins the race.

SgtHydra: Yeah, I was a bit worried about Haruhi getting over the issue too quickly. Still though, there are no mentions of how long she's there flailing, screaming, and crying, so I suppose I sort of covered myself on that particular facet.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

* * *

Chapter 3

I awake from my slumber. There's that ringing again. I can just make out the clock hands pointing to seven. I yawn and stretch a bit as I get up from my bed and proceed to my desk. Reaching out I turn off the alarm, but not before I make sure that there is no blood on my hand. Perhaps I am developing some sort of syndrome.

My jaw is sore. The wooden chopping board has taken a toll on my teeth. Even when I bit down deeper than my sister, my fangs still did not retract. I almost bit through the board before it retracted. But as my father said, the ability to retract them came naturally afterward. It felt so strange, the movement of muscles beneath my gums. I found myself playing with my teeth while I was working on my homework.

My eyes also feel a bit strange, but I'm sure whatever the feeling is will go away. I head downstairs and see my dad reading the morning papers. Going into the kitchen, I begin to prepare breakfast.

We usually don't talk much. It's early in the morning and while he may be up and energetic, I'm not so inclined to feel the same way. But there are still questions that need answering. Now would be the best time to ask.

"Hey, dad."

"Yes?"

"Do we... Do we still bleed?"

I hear him turn the page. "Sometimes."

I am thankful that I have still retained a portion of my physical humanity. "When do we bleed?"

"If we're hurt enough, which, compared to the rest of humanity, takes quite a bit of hurting."

"… How much?"

"If you take a basic kitchen knife and cut about an inch into your skin, you would bleed. But in order to cut that deep, you would have to be pushing much harder than normal." He turns the page again. "You could say that, while our skin still feels soft when touched, it is much more resilient to cuts and scrapes."

I'm reminded of when I was almost killed by the rogue alien, Asakura Ryoko. If it indeed took more to kill me than a normal person, I am still fairly sure that she would have been able to do it. Considering how she pierced Nagato with those blades before being defeated herself, I'm sure she would have just done the same to me. But then that raises some more questions. Was my skin already difficult to penetrate? Or was it something that happened during or after the change?

I really need to talk to Nagato.

As I am about to continue cooking, my dad speaks again.

"Oh, another thing," I turn to face him. "The school called to inform us of a recent cold that is going around the city."

Oh? "What's it called?"

"Guuricoccus." I freeze. "It's not very dangerous if the person is taken care of when the symptoms begin to show, but I've never heard of this strain before."

I resume making my breakfast "… Neither have I."

"They want us to take extra precautions to make sure the sickness doesn't get passed around. We should be fine, considering what we are. Still, take the mask I gave you, just in case. Even though you can already hide your fangs, we don't know how infectious or dangerous this cold is."

"What are the symptoms?"

"In addition to the normal cold symptoms, those infected are known to pass out with a fever shortly after the sickness begins to take place. Because of this, it's easy to identify and treat."

"… I'll keep that in mind." I highly doubt that it will matter though.

"Speaking of potential dangers," he gets up and moves to the refrigerator before pulling out an orange juice carton. He then takes out a small glass and pours a cup of, what I assume, blood. "Now that you've changed, I don't have to hide the carton anymore. But be sure to pour yourself a glass when you wake up and a bit before you go to sleep."

I stare at it before making a move to pick it up. It's not clear, but it looks like it is some sort of puree. "What's in this?"

"Assorted animal blood. I make it every few days so it's fresh. Having a two glasses throughout the day will help keep you from craving blood."

I stare at it some more. I'm not sure if I would appreciate being reminded what has happened to me. Particularly if it is twice a day.

I think I'll drink it anyway. Not only because my dad tells me to, but because I know it's important. Plus, it's blood. Even if it is weird, it still tastes good.

---

It would appear that this 'Guuricoccus' disease I had made up on the spot yesterday has put people into a state of panic. As I make my way to school, I see that almost everyone is wearing a sterile mask. I'm pretty sure that this cold is one that did not exist before I told Haruhi about it, if it even exists at all. The school may simply be taking the conservative approach and claim that there is a potential health issue at hand. It is something that I will have to ask Nagato for in addition to my other question. Hopefully I will be able to do so today.

When I arrive at my class room, I notice that almost everyone is wearing a mask as well. They look at me for a moment, knowing that I was the original 'carrier' of the sickness. It's not for long; they return to whatever they were doing shortly afterwards.

Besides me, the only other person not wearing a mask is Taniguchi. I think he knows that I made up the sickness on the spot, so he knows that it's not something to worry about. I make my way over to my desk and sit down.

The moment I do, the door opens and Haruhi walks in without a mask. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable, as it could mean that she doesn't believe my excuse of catching a sickness. She says nothing as she moves over to her seat and sits down. I want to say something about yesterday, but class will start any moment now.

At the same time though, the silence between us feels a little… uncomforting.

"… Hey," I find myself blurting out.

"Morning." She's not wearing a mask, but she's sporting a ponytail. I like ponytails.

But something seems off… "You look tired."

"Sometime after… well…" she takes some time to reconsider what she wants to say. I notice that, while they aren't watching, some people are interested in what we're saying. "I was resting for most of the day, so I was up late at night. I had quite a bit of work to catch up on as well."

"…"

"…"

"Nice hair." Really.

"Thanks." It was hardly there, but for a moment I think she made a small smile.

I open my mouth to keep talking, but the teacher comes in. He's wearing a mask as well. The first thing he does is see who isn't wearing one. Seeing that Taniguchi and Haruhi don't have one, he makes them go to the school nurse to pick one up. He goes, but she stays.

"Suzumiya, you should get one for the sake of your health."

"I don't think I'll be catching anything soon. Besides, I don't like masks very much."

The class is quiet. Most students wouldn't dare talk back to a teacher, but Haruhi is often at odds with them.

"…"

"…"

They stare at each other. I do my best to shrink myself to the side as to not be caught by their gazes.

"Well, if you're not going to do it then there isn't much that I can do about it. But if you do come down with something, then you will have no sympathy from me." He begins to take roll.

I quickly turn to face her. "I didn't know you disliked masks," I whisper.

"Most of the time, masks are meant to deceive people. It hides the true intentions or identity and creates a false persona."

"I… see."

---

Class is over now. Compared to yesterday when I left the school immediately, I find myself naturally moving towards the Literature Clubroom. It is engrained in me, like a survival skill that is passed on through generations. I don't know if I can consider this a survival skill, however.

I find myself quickening my pace. I want to arrive before the others arrive. That way I can ask Nagato as many questions as I would like to know. If others are there, then I would either have to mask my questions or find another time to ask her. Even if I mask my questions, however, it may still not be enough to keep the others from figuring it out.

I arrive outside the club door. I know that Nagato is almost always here before anyone else. Still, I knock out of courtesy. I still remember the first time I entered without knocking…

There is a small voice from the other side. "Come in."

It's Asahina-san. I open the door and step inside. While I initially had a mild attraction to her, it began to diminish some time through the summer. I don't think that it was something voluntary but rather it was just something that happened. Even if I still held onto those feelings, however, it goes against good policy to fall in love with a time traveler.

Speaking of time traveling, I wonder how she got here in the first place. I quickly dismiss the thought, however. I have tried to figure out how she arrived here but, at most, came up with only a semi-feasible idea. First of all, Asahina-san must have been told about and accepted into the Time Travel Agency at a very young age. In order for there to be two Asahina-sans, the younger one must have already existed in my time period or sent into my time period from a future one.

This already has a loophole. In the future, I am very sure that they still have child labor laws intact. Recruiting Asahina-san at a young age would most likely violate this standard in both situations. Also, if she is from my current time period, then she must have been approached by someone from the future to inform her not only of her duty but also of the existence of time travel.

Everything seems very suspicious, particularly how everything is classified information. It is as if I'm some sort of walking time bomb that will go off if told about the secrets of time travel.

As I take a seat, Asahina-san hands me a hot cup of tea. Once again, she is dressed in a maid outfit catering to the club. She then walks over and hands a cup to Nagato, who does not seem to react. If anything, her reaction was turning the page and blinking.

It would appear that the questions I would like to ask her will have to wait. Of all the club members, she is the one least likely to give away my identity.

Maybe I can ask her in a different way…

"Nagato."

She looks up from her book before slowly turning her head towards me.

Before I can say anything, however, the door opens.

"Ah, good afternoon everyone." It's Koizumi. His timing is as opportune as his performance in the games we play. I could have slipped by if it was only Asahina-san here, but Koizumi has shown aptitude when it comes to thinking over situations and finding a plausible explanation. There is no doubt that he would figure out what I'm asking sooner or later. He sits down in front of me. "It is good to see you again."

I fold my arms across my chest and lean back in my chair. "You disappeared on me yesterday. I didn't think that a Closed Space would appear at our school."

"Indeed, it was a rare occurrence for it to take place so close to the source of it. In fact," he sits down, "I don't think it's ever been that close before."

"How was it?"

"Like all other encounters, it was nothing serious."

That makes me feel a bit better. "Has anything… bad… ever happened?"

"We have all had our fair share of close shaves. However, we have managed to avoid major instances. While not difficult to take care of, the aggressiveness of the beings seem to share a functional dependency on the degree of Suzumiya-san's mental instability, which is also responsible for the amount of Closed Spaces in a given time."

"Is it difficult work?"

"It is not very difficult to take care of the giants that appear. You yourself saw how fast we disposed of it before. The major problem with the giants, however, is the time it takes to travel to it. Because we do not have powers outside of the Closed Space, we must use the normal means to travel to one."

"I see." Getting up, I move over to a shelf that a stack of board games lying on it. "What will it be today?"

The door bursts open. "Hey guys! Sorry for not being able to make the meeting yesterday. But it's alright because we're starting to head in a new direction!" Suzumiya Haruhi walks into the room. There is a strange bounce to her step that I did not notice before. Her hair is still in a ponytail.

It is also alright because you are the Brigade Chief. If it was anyone else, particularly me, I'm sure there would have been some sort of dire consequences. Still, however, I know that I am responsible for her absence. I would not be surprised if she has some sort of way or plan to place the blame on me.

I walk back to my seat before collapsing into it. "So, what will it be today then?"

She stands with a wide smile on her face. She has that dominant air around her and her hands are on her hips.

"We're going to hunt vampires!"

"…What?" My heart pounds against my ribs. There is a small gasp in the back. I assume that it is Asahina-san.

"Come on, Kyon! You know what vampires are, don't you?" She stares at me.

"What about other horrifying creatures though? Why vampires?"

"Well, I thought about the other ones. Given our area, though, vampires are the easiest to find." She moves to her desk and sits down. "We're in a city, so we need to rule out the ones that are more likely to appear in the country side. Vampires are just more likely to be seen in our area."

"… Why a vampire though? Why not a creature more native to our area?" I'm starting to run out of things to say. But even if I did, Haruhi is the type of person to be adamant enough to not only have answers but would probably put her foot down and call it final.

"Kyon, most Japanese monsters were created in the feudal era of Japan, if not earlier. While the same can be said for vampires, Japanese monsters tended to do with the wilderness. Also, they were related to objects that are no longer in use today. To put it simply, their existence is doubtful. Vampires, on the other hand, are only connected to items that are still in use."

"… I still don't like the idea."

"Then let's have a vote!" She stands up. "All who oppose?"

I immediately raise my hand. I cast a glance around, expecting to see Asahina-san's hand.

However, to my surprise, I see that she has fainted and is lying on the ground. I also cast a glance at Nagato to see if she will do anything.

She only turns the page in her book.

"All in favor?"

"I personally think it is a wonderful idea." Just like the yes-man you are, Koizumi. I expected no less from you.

"Well, it looks like it is three to one, Kyon. You lose."

Three to one? "It should be tied! If anything, Asahina-san's fainting should count as a vote against your idea!"

"The brigade chief's vote is worth two, not one. Even if she did vote with you, you still would have lost."

"… I was not informed of this." I didn't even know we would even be able to vote on something.

"It's an unnecessary detail."

"… What about Nagato? If we get her, then it's a tie!" There is a streak of hope in my voice.

Both of us look towards her. She looks up from her book and turns to us. "I am not officially in the SOS Brigade. Therefore, I am unable to vote on matters such as what the next course of action will be."

"It's decided then!" Haruhi is beaming. My head is on the table in complete defeat. "Now, Koizumi-kun, Kyon, get out. I need to get Mikuru-chan's normal clothes back on. If we're going to deal with vampires, she shouldn't be running around in a maid outfit."

I motion to say something, but I close my mouth and simply walk out. I didn't know that I could experience being stunned, disbelief, and total fear at the same time. Even if she's looking for the stereotypical vampires, this is something dangerous. I may not have the same weaknesses or tendencies as they do, but I still run the risk of being discovered. I am safe for now because she has seen my family, or at least my sister, and I know that neither of us display what she's looking for. Still, I don't know her motives or what she intends to do should she ever find one.

Koizumi turns to me, still wearing that smile. "A bit of an unexpected turn, no?"

"If you put it lightly, yes. Quite unexpected."

"Are you afraid of vampires?"

As if. "No. I just think the idea is stupid."

There is a short scream. It came from the room, but I can just hear Haruhi calming Asahina-san and assuring her that it will be okay. When Koizumi and I are let back in, we're told to start brainstorming for where our search should begin and what to do. Haruhi is writing down what we think of on the whiteboard.

"What else are we missing, Kyon?"

I turn around to calmly view what is written. Garlic, holy water, stakes, rosaries, something made of silver. The silver note has an offshoot from it saying 'maybe – it's expensive'. I turn back to the table before leaning over and laying my head down on top of it. "Mirrors." I'm a little glad to see that she cares about the price of things too.

"Oh, good one. We can use a large one in here to make sure no vampires get in while we're around!" she writes it down on the board. "Also, we should all carry pocket mirrors, just in case." She quickly scribbles down mirrors and pocket mirrors.

I feel like I'm fraternizing with the enemy.

"Alright, this list looks pretty good right now. Tomorrow, be sure to come in with a clove of garlic and a rosary. We'll be making stakes and getting some holy water from the local shrine this weekend, so be ready. Dismissed!"

There is a sudden pull back at the collar of my uniform. I find myself precariously leaning back in my chair. My eyes shoot open as I find myself staring into Haruhi's, except she's upside down. She's leaned over me and my head is against her stomach. The curves make it a nice view. They're modest, but I think they're perfect on her. "You, however, are not." She has a small smile on her face before she lets go, causing me to swing back onto the table.

I watch as the others pick up their things and begin to leave. Nagato is last out the door. It looks like I'll have to try and find another time to speak to her. I was hoping to go after her when we were done, but now I don't know how long I'll be here.

The door finally closes and I turn around in my seat. "I'm guessing this is about what I owe you from yesterday?"

"So you have it ready then?" She's still smiling, this time with a bit of a blush. She moves over to the door and leans against it before looking at me expectantly. She does not intend to let me leave before we're done. "It better be worth the wait, Kyon."

I'm still nervous about the first real kiss, not to mention that I'm still scared about her finding out about what's happened to me. "What happens if it's not?"

"…"

"…"

"… Then I'll fine you." She sounds solemn, but she's still smiling, betraying her feelings.

"… Maybe I should aim below your standards then." I can't help but smile myself.

"Well, why don't you come over and see for yourself?"

I get up. "Maybe I will." I slowly walk over to her. My heart pounds so loudly that I am sure she can hear it. When I'm in front of her, I lift my hands up to her shoulders. I pause before putting them on top, but I shortly take a gentle grip on her.

We stare at each other. I'm almost frozen in my movements.

"… Well?"

"Sorry. It's… It's harder than I thought it would be."

"How come?" she sounds a bit annoyed.

"You keep focusing on me." I feel like I can't do it if she keeps her eye on me. I need her to look away, if only for a moment.

"What am I supposed to do about it? You owe me thi-"

I quickly look scared and stare off at a spot a bit above the left side of her head. "Whoa, spider!"

"What? Where?" Her eyes begin to move away from. As her head begins to look towards the imaginary arachnid, I put my hand against the way she's turning and turn her back to me. Surprised yet again, she gives in easily. I make sure that my fangs are retracted before I quickly move in and kiss her. I keep my eyes closed. I don't really want to know how she feels about me tricking her. My cheeks are burning.

I pull away and open my eyes again. It's a bit hard to tell what she's thinking though.

"So, how was it?"

"… Sorry, but it wasn't good enough."

My heart sinks a bit. "Well then, what's the fine?"

One of her hands snakes around my neck and pulls me in. "You have to do it until you get it right." She leans in and starts to kiss me. My mouth must have been open from the surprise because her tongue is lashing around inside. I slip mine into hers.

When we finally pull away, our cheeks are red.

"Was that better?" That nervousness is gone.

"Much better."

She pulls me in and once again I'm lost in her lips. We back away once more, in need of breath.

"What was that for?"

"I'm collecting the interest on your debt, and you still have a long way to go."

"I guess I better work overtime."

As we indulge ourselves in each other, I think back to how she wants to find vampires. I should be worried about the fact that she plans to use stakes against the ones she finds, but I'm not. I'm too busy fraternizing with the enemy.

Oh yeeaahh… fraternizing with the hot, beautiful enemy.

I still need to talk to her about money, but that can wait.

* * *

Did you know that the kissing scene was originally filled so heavily with sexual innuendo of sorts? You'll get a fun glimpse of it when I update again. Also, I believe I have a general direction I want this story to take that will have some elements of horror. Just sit tight - hopefully I can get it out soon enough.


	5. Chapter 4

Hello everyone, back with another chapter for you guys. It's been about a month, so that's some nice timing for everyone. I might even have the next one out in a shorter time period because I'll be on winter break. Don't hold me to it though; I can't tell what the future will bring. At the very least, I have an idea of what will happen, so we're past that.

SgtHydra: Nagato doesn't notice because she is Nagato. In short, you'll find out later.

Hikaru1223: The kissing scene actually gave me a bit of trouble at first, but I found a way to do it eventually. Stay tuned at the end though...

Sasaki in a Top Hat: It enters it kind of quickly because it's already been established as a fact. There's no need to show them growing closer together. But...

Nagatoismylover: Yeah, I notice that I use a lot of ellipses, so I've tried to reduce their occurrence (there are still a few in here though, I think). And yes... Kyon's dad.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

* * *

Chapter Four

Haruhi's body has a faint orange-gold glow, standing out against the blue tinge in the club room. It's like an aura of sorts surrounding her, faint but definitely there. She's leaning against the wall. Moving up against her, I entwine my fingers with hers before kissing.

Eventually, I find my lips moving lower, towards her neck. The glow is brighter, and the room is darker now. She's trembling again. Her neck feels so good, tastes so good. One of my hands leaves hers to play with the area between her neck and shoulder, dragging itself up and down.

I can feel it, her pulse. My mouth opens and my fangs are bared before I bite down, gently lapping at the bleeding wound on her neck. She hisses, but makes no motion to stop me.

---

The door bursts open.

"Kyon-kun, it's time to get up!"

Yes, yes, time to get up. My eyes slowly open to the Saturday morning sun slipping through the cracks of the blinds. For some reason, I'm on my stomach, meaning that my face was in my pillow while I slept. I usually do not sleep that way. Taking a closer look at my pillow, I notice that there are two holes going through the pillowcase.

Something grabs my foot. My body is effortlessly dragged off the bed and I find myself lying on the ground. I look to my little sister. Her smile is bright and playful. It still annoys me that she is physically stronger than I am. I am sure that under normal circumstances, she would not be able to do this to me.

Scowling, I get her to leave my room and I change into my day clothes. There is no school this Saturday, so that means Haruhi will want us members to meet up at the train station.

After brushing my teeth, I walk down the stairs and see my father reading the morning papers as usual. I pour a glass of blood for myself and start fixing something quick and easy.

My dream comes back to me.

"Hey, dad."

"Yes?"

"What does…" I am uneasy asking him about this, "What does human blood taste like?"

He sets down his papers and looks at me. "… Why do you want to know?"

"… Just curious."

"…"

"…"

He starts reading again. "… It's the best blood I've ever had."

"… What makes it so good?"

"I would not know. Maybe it's because it's thick and shares a similar make-up to our own blood."

"Did you… kill someone for it?"

"No. It was the night when I turned your mother that I tasted it."

"Turned… her?"

"As in I bit her and drank some of her blood."

"I… I see."

"I'm willing to bet that you have what you would consider a strange… attraction towards your girlfriend's neck, am I right?"

"… Does it run in the family?" I don't know if I should be surprised if it does. I don't know if anything will surprise me anymore.

"Indeed. Your sister will most likely have one as well." He turns the page. "Avoid acting upon it, however, particularly with your mouth. Accidents have occurred from time to time because of it."

"How were they resolved?"

"I'm sure you have heard of some famous unsolved cases. Serial killers murdering whole families, some people simply vanishing. We are behind those cases, both in the execution of the plan and the dying."

"Is it… really necessary to take such extreme means?"

"As vampires, our most important priority is to remain hidden. Humans panic when they see something they can't or don't understand, especially when it comes to the likes of us. They will want help and news of our existence will spread."

"…"

"If there is one thing you must understand, it is to not be discovered at any cost. You may reveal it to some people, but you must make sure that the person you are revealing it to fits two criteria: you trust them completely, and you are ready to kill them if you have to."

"Have you ever… had to kill someone?"

"… I don't want to talk about it."

It is the end of the conversation, not just given away by the tone of his voice, but also by the fact that I cannot stomach the idea that my father has killed someone. I want to vomit. I want to get rid of the blood that is inside of me. I don't want to know who he killed or how he killed them. Turning him into the police is a plausible idea, but there would be no way to prove that my father did something. If he has been able to hide it for so long, how would I be able to convict him now? Not to mention that he never explicitly stated that he killed someone.

I don't have an appetite anymore and I leave the house to meet up with Haruhi.

As I pedal my way to the train station on my bike, I see people walking around with masks covering their mouth and nose. I still find it difficult to believe that this sickness that I made up managed to be a real one. I doubt that Haruhi is behind this because she most likely does not believe me about being sick that day, but simply let the situation slide. Neither of us really wants to focus on that; instead, we want to put it behind us, and that is what we did.

I see the rest of the club members, including Nagato. I park my bike and hasten my pace. If she considers herself to not officially be a part of the SOS Brigade yet shows up for the weekend meeting, why would she not vote that time? Aliens…

"You're almost late, you know!" Haruhi calls out to me. She has a backpack on.

"Aren't you glad I wasn't?" I'm reminded of a lame joke.

"If you were late for just a few more minutes, I would have fined you."

I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe I should have been late then." I wink for good measure, not caring whether or not the other members saw it.

"Whatever!" her cheeks flush with life. "Come on, we're getting onto the train!"

This weekend, we're visiting a shrine to pick up some holy water. While I'm sure that it exists to some extent, I have doubts about its potency against vampires, similar to how I have doubts about the existence of other vampires. I can't say that vampires don't exist anymore because I am one.

I'm still looking for an opportunity to ask Nagato. Maybe it will be today.

The train ride is short, but the rest will have to be done on foot. The local shrine is very close to where my family lives, and we go there more often than the average family by the urging of my father. I can't imagine why he would, however. At first I thought that he was just a pious man, but now I'm having my doubts. Does a vampire really need religious affiliations?

As I put foot after foot on each step up the hill, I keep turning my head around, looking for that one moment to talk to Nagato. It feels different, coming up here with friends instead of family and for non-religious purposes. The trip is more lighthearted, even if we're preparing to try and kill some creature.

There is an empty clunk coming from Haruhi's backpack with each step she takes, who is several steps above the rest of us. Koizumi is ever smiling. Asahina-san is slowly trailing farther and farther behind while Nagato is keeping pace with me. We're still too close to everyone else though. I'll have to keep my eyes open.

When we reach the top, I see that everyone besides Nagato and I are breathing a bit heavier.

"How come this is so easy for you?" Haruhi asks me with a bit of a scowl.

"My family comes here often," I brush off the question. "I guess I'm just used to it." We're at the top of the hill now. A paved path beneath the traditional Shinto arch leads us to the front of the shrine. It's been around for a long time. My father says that he attended this shrine when he was a child, and so did my grandfather. The entire temple, from the roof to the support pillars, is ancient, but also immaculate and well preserved. There is a donation box outside of the entrance.

Haruhi quickly moves down the path and enters the shrine. Nagato follows shortly after while I wait for the other two members to come up before following them in. There is a lone priest inside, sweeping the floors in front of a grand statue. He's younger than the other priests around here that usually keep the temple in shape. When he sees us, he pauses in his cleaning and bows. We bow in return.

"Good day. How may I help you?" He politely asks.

"We would like some holy water, if you have any. Lots of it, in fact." Haruhi shifts her backpack a bit, and I hear that clunking noise again. I realize that they're probably flasks or empty water bottles.

"I..." the poor man is at a loss for words. "I am not sure if we deal in such things."

"But you're a priest, are you not? You can bless water, right?" Haruhi's voice is eager.

"We can pass on our blessings to a person, but I do not know if we are able to pass it onto an object."

Her voice is a bit angry. "Why not?" I would be angry as well if I had to carry so many empty bottles up a hill.

He looks at me pleadingly, but when he does something changes in his eyes. It's a momentary flicker of recognition. But I've never seen this man before. "Allow me to consult with the high priest. Perhaps he knows more than I do about the subject." He bows again before leaving us.

Haruhi turns to the rest of us. "I'm sure that priests are able to make holy water! I won't leave without it, even if we have to camp out for it. It's vital to our operation."

"Maybe there is another place where we can obtain this holy water?" Koizumi asks. Knowing Haruhi, she'll probably take us to another shrine and try to find it there, especially since Koizumi has now suggested it. She tends to take his suggestions more seriously than my own.

It is discomforting, considering how she and I are more intimate now. We haven't done very much. At most, we share kisses after the club meetings have ended. I walk her home afterwards. We still haven't had a first date yet. And I still haven't told her about that money issue. Even then though, she should begin to take my pieces of advice more seriously, at the very least.

To my surprise, though, she goes against him this time. "That won't work. The next closest shrine is two hours by train. I don't have that amount of time today."

"Maybe you should try a church?" Asahina-san suggests. "I believe that is where the idea of blessing water originates from."

Is there a church nearby? Before I can think of an answer, however, a voice, vague and strangely familiar, calls out to me. Not Haruhi or anyone else in the group, but me.

"Ahh, Kyon, I did not expect to see you today." I turn around and see another priest. How does he know my name? He is bald and his eyes have crow's feet along with wrinkles on his forehead. He does appear familiar, however.

"Do I… know you?" the rest of the club members are silent.

The old man laughs a bit. "You may not have noticed it, but I attend to the shrine and take care of its visitors on Sundays, the day your family tends to visit."

That would be why he seems so familiar. "I am willing to understand that, but… how do you know my name?" I can't help but feel suspicious about him.

"That is because I am a friend of your father."

"… Really?" I was unaware that my father was friends with a priest.

"Yes. In fact, he had planned to introduce you to me tomorrow. He visited me last Saturday informing me of it."

Saturday. The day I changed. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"I can prove it, but you'll have to come with me. It is a private matter, after all." He looks at me expectantly.

I look towards the others. Haruhi seems suspicious as well, particularly because Saturday was mentioned. However, she seems to make no movement as to whether she allows me to go or not. I turn to the priest.

"Okay then."

"Very well, please follow me." He heads off to the back of the shrine. With one last glance to Haruhi, I start to follow him through to the back of the shrine. We take a door out to the back and sit on a bench next to the wall.

I can't help but feel awkward. "So… what do you want to talk about?"

"We need to talk about your recent… change."

I freeze before slowly turning to him. "How… How do you know?"

He smiles. "Like I have said before, I am a friend of your father. He has confided me about the details of your family."

I recall my dad's words about telling the family secret to anyone else. "But… how does this concern me?"

"While I may not be taking care of your family directly every Sunday, your father seeks me out for more important rituals. In fact, I was the one who presided over your parents' wedding. I was also present when your father turned your mother into a vampire."

"… I don't plan to get married soon, you know."

"It matters not when or whether you get married. Your father comes here whenever he seeks penance, other spiritual matters, or even daily life questions in general. When he does, he asks for me to help him."

"I don't understand. Why would he give away his secret? He only just told me how important it was to hide it."

"What matters is that you have someone to talk to. No one can carry so great a secret by themselves. Many would fail if they did not have someone to confide in."

"What made my father pick you?"

"I've served at this shrine for many years. I was around when your grandfather was still alive, though I was much younger that time, and he asked me to serve him in particular. At that time, I did not know about your family's unique lineage. It was only after your grandfather's death that I knew about it. You could say that I am a family friend."

"But how did he know to pick you?"

"I like to believe that he picked me because if I told anyone else, he would easily overpower me. When I found out I was already in my late fifties, almost nineteen, twenty years ago. Even though I do not share your blood, having someone to talk to about the issue is important."

"… I don't think you've answered why this concerns me yet."

"Ah, forgive me." He chuckles a bit to himself. "You see, I am going to die soon and your father wishes for you to find someone who will provide you with the same benefits that I provided for your father."

"That's… quite a job to fulfill." I don't even know where to begin here.

"It is indeed, but I believe that you will find the right candidate in due time. There is no rush. It is more important that you keep this in mind for now." He slowly stands up. "Now then, we shouldn't allow your friends to keep waiting."

I mean to say something to him, but I can conjure no words to speak. I get up and begin to follow him back through the temple. I see the rest of the club members waiting where I left them. They were silent as I joined them again.

"You must forgive me for pulling your friend away from you. We had some important matters to discuss."

"What kind of matters?" Haruhi asks.

"Private family matters," the priest answers.

"Whatever," she sets down the backpack. "Can you make holy water for us?"

"Yes, I can. However, it is a service available only for donators."

"Great!" she smiles widely and opens up her backpack, revealing a multitude of empty water bottles of various sizes. "I would like to fill up all these bottles."

"At the very least, you should ask for the price," I tell her.

"Then go donate something for us!"

I give off a frustrated sigh. Taking a bill, I walk outside and place it inside of the donation box before returning back in. My wallet may never catch a break.

The process of creating holy water is not very difficult, it turns out. The priest leads us to a fountain of drinkable water, bottles it, and then blesses it. He does this at least thirty times. I don't know how many water bottles we filled, as the task was split among each of us to quicken the process. When we put them all into the bag, Haruhi has me carry it back down the hill. At the very least, it doesn't feel that heavy.

I do, however, have to question the potency of these items. Plastic bottles won't break when they're thrown, at least not easily. Are we supposed to unscrew it before tossing? Not to mention that by doing so it becomes a very unwieldy weapon, if it even is a weapon in the first place.

"Haruhi," I ask while we're on the train, "how do you plan to use these?"

"First, I have to check if this is the real deal. If it's just normal water, then it's no use against vampires. I'm going to examine it for a few days. If anything strange starts growing inside of it, then it's not real. Even then, this may not be the right type of holy water. We may need to get one from a cathedral instead of a shrine."

"… That doesn't answer my question, you know."

"I'll have an answer for it later."

If we ever do encounter a real vampire, the ones from the depths of Transylvania or some other horror story or game, I'm sure that someone is going to die.

---

For the rest of the day, we were making stakes in front of Haruhi's house. She said that she was able to borrow the supplies from the art club. I highly doubt it, but that's simply me. Considering how she 'stole' Asahina-san from the calligraphy club, I'm sure that she would have no qualms with stealing anything of lesser value than the girl.

The final model the stakes was a bit small in my opinion. They were no wider than two coins lined up next to each other and only as long as about a DVD case. I was reminded of how it looked like a sushi roll, except that it is sharpened and can seriously harm a person. I feel as if the only productive thing was lunch, which Haruhi graciously served us.

It is now late in the afternoon. Since we've finally made the convincing, although probably useless, stakes, Haruhi has decided that we have done enough in preparation of the hunt. When the hunt will occur, however, is in question. I feel that she will just suddenly spring the date upon us, making it difficult for me to plan ahead.

When we finally leave, everyone is heading in a different direction. Koizumi is returning towards the train station, Asahina-san is heading towards the school, and Nagato is walking into the setting sun. How convenient. I run to catch up with her.

"Nagato!"

She pauses and turns around, but says nothing.

"I need to ask you a few questions." I make sure that none of the other brigade members are in sight or hearing distance. "Let's go somewhere a bit farther away." The last person I want to see me talking with another girl is Haruhi, even if it is with Nagato. We continue to walk towards the sun, its rays making it annoying to continue in this direction.

"Nagato, have you detected any recent situations where data has changed?" I've been meaning to ask her this question for almost an entire week. Since then, I have turned it into a question that even she can understand.

"How recent?"

"Since last Saturday."

She takes a moment of time to calculate an answer. "No."

"None?"

"None. There have been attempts by Suzumiya Haruhi to change it, but they did not come to fruition. These attempts were clustered shortly after one AM on Sunday morning."

"… What about Friday night? Were there any data changes or attempts to change it, particularly past midnight?"

"No. There were no changes."

"Were there any changes to my family? Anything, even small ones?"

"No."

* * *

A/N: Would you believe that the kissing scene was originally different? I changed it because I felt that it just wasn't coming out right and was too awkward for the characters. It also felt overly sexual and did not build up the scene as much. It did, however, have a similar mood as the final version.

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"So you have it ready then?" She's smiling again, this time with a bit of a blush. She looks at me expectantly.

I'm still nervous about the first kiss, not to mention that I'm still scared about her finding out about what's happened to me.

Maybe I'll fool around with her for a bit. "Kind of, I just realized I left it in the classroom."

She smirks. Two can easily play at this game, and she must be interested. "Perhaps I should charge you a late fee?" She moves in front of the door and leans against it. Her arms are crossed.

I get out of my seat. "Oh, I don't know if I can afford that." I'm reminded of those spy movies where the main character's lines involve witty banter.

"You're acting a little suspicious. What if you have a gun cocked and ready to shoot? Maybe I should give you a pat down or a strip search for security reasons."

Oh, sexy. I didn't intend for it to turn out this way, but if that's the way we're doing it… "You have your own pair of guns and I don't know if you have the qualifications to perform either one of those operations. I say you're assaulting me with a deadly weapon." I move towards her. I'm not scared or nervous anymore, just anxious now.

"I do have the assets for another test, you know."

I'm in front of her now. My hands move to her shoulders. Her hands drop to her sides. "And what would that be?" My voice is low.

"Breathalyzer."

We lean in, close our eyes, and we kiss. Her lips are soft, like I dreamed they would be. We pull away a little while afterwards.

"So, am I clean?"

"I didn't get a good enough sample. I'll have to try again." She moves in again. Our lips meet, but this time I feel something wet. I part mine and let her in before I slip my tongue into hers.

Eventually, we pull away. Our cheeks are red and we're a bit short of breath.

"What does your breathalyzer read now?"

"Sorry, Kyon, but you're dirtier than a rat. I'll have to get you cleaned up."

"There are quite a few things that need to be polished."

"Yeah, and after that I intend to collect the interest off of your debt."

Oh yeeaahh... fraternizing with the enemy.

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This is the original. Kind of glad that I changed it, but I thought you guys would enjoy it anyway.


	6. Chapter 5

Well, I suppose this is what happens during break. Or something. I suppose I just knew what I wanted to put down, so it wasn't too hard to get it all out. This writing ahead of what's posted feels kind of weird at times, though. It's not this chapter that went by fast, but the one after it, but you readers won't get to it until after this one. It just feels odd. However, I think I will be continuing with this until I finish this story.

Hidden Lostar: Check your PM

Arty Esbee d'Arc: I feel like there isn't very much mythology in here, or so I feel. I wondered about it in general though, and the result will probably manifest itself later.

Hikaru1223: Yes, Kyon's dad... about that.

Kinda?: Yeah, Kyon's dad is kind of just there. I don't really want to go too much into depth about his character and instead want to leave it up to the way he speaks to give him character. As for Kyon being suave, he's simply taking after his father (just kidding). In reality, yes, I started to portray him a bit differently than the actual story, but my goal is to make sure that it's still believable. As for Nagato, which everyone seems to have questions about, I feel that I would be giving away too much if I answered about it now. At most, I can only tell you to try and see more meaning in what she said. As for ignoring you, I like to respond to particularly thoughtful reviews. I know that at one point it was against the rules to do so or something, but I've always stuck with it. I kind of treat it like a debriefing.

Nameless Reviewer: It kind of gets addressed later. Kind of.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

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Chapter Five

For a moment, I thought I had it all figured out. I would ask Nagato just what was going on. She would tell me that something happened, and that there was a way for me to turn back to normal. Maybe I would have to go back into the past, like the many other times I had to. Maybe I would have been transported into an alternate reality.

But it wasn't fixed. Nothing changed after I talked to her that day. I am still a vampire. My family is still made up of vampires. I still need to drink blood. It still tastes good. I still need to tell Haruhi to stop spending my money.

I dreamt of biting Haruhi's neck again. We were in the clubroom once more, just the two of us. The room was completely washed in dark blue and her body was golden and glowing. She tried to move from the side of the room to the door, but I lunged across over the table and pinned her feeble frame against the wall from the side. She screamed and tried to push me away, but I easily overpowered her. I pushed her back against the wall, keeping her pinned. I tore off her skirt and panties and I… I…

I raped her. She struggled, tried to do something, screamed obscenities, sobbed and moaned as I violated her. But eventually she stopped resisting and began to cooperate. Towards the end, I found no need to keep her down anymore and she even started to hold onto me and kiss me. I don't know why she acted that way, but I'm sure that I was pleased by this. Just before I was at the peak of pleasure, I leaned in and bit into her neck, drinking the sweetest blood, even sweeter than the blood from her opening. Somehow I knew that I had tried it, knowing that it was impossible for me to resist such a… such an erotic treat.

And then I woke up afterwards in the dead of night. My breath was heavy as quickly sat up in bed, trying to contemplate just what was going on. My senses were at a heightened state and I was absolutely aware of my surroundings. The room was dark, the air was cool, and beneath my sleeping clothes I had the hardest erection I have ever had.

I went to the bathroom to try and calm down. Splash some water on my face, take more deep breaths, and try not to think of Haruhi. But in the end it was useless. That hardness would not go away. I returned to my room and laid down on my bed, telling myself that I would just not think about it. I thought about it more and more, however. Eventually I found myself thoroughly exhausted with my pants down and a sticky mess on my hands.

I have never had a dream of having sex with anyone, much less raping the person. But that was before I began dating Haruhi and before I changed. Things were different. I felt disgusted with myself that I was so turned on by such a horrible act. Was it the fact that I was actually having sex with her, that I was raping her, or that blood was involved that made me so aroused? Perhaps there is something enticing about being evil in some way or another…

I couldn't sleep after that. I was too afraid of what I would do to her in my dreams. Instead I watched the light filter in from the windows as the clock slowly ticked the minutes away until I was supposed to get ready for class.

It's Monday now. Nothing important happened on Sunday. We went to the shrine as usual and I was expecting to have another chat with the priest, but instead we did the usual patterns. I suppose my father knew that the old man and I had a conversation. Not only do I have to deal with all sorts of blood-related things, I also have to find someone who will hold onto my secret. I called Taniguchi and Kunikida to see if they wanted to meet up with me, but they did not pick up their phones.

I also decided to give Haruhi a call that day to figure out if we wanted to have a date. She, however, told me she was going to be busy and would not want to be distracted by the idea of a date. Maybe that's why I had dreamed what I dreamed. I did not see her all day, when I've seen her almost every day since I've changed.

I'm walking down the stairs to the kitchen now. When I arrive I go to the refrigerator and pull out that carton, pouring it into a glass. I lift it up to my mouth, taking no more than a sip.

Haruhi's blood. I almost want to pour the contents of the cup down the sink.

As usual, my father is reading the morning papers.

"What should I do if I keep dreaming about biting someone's neck and drinking their blood?" I don't even bother to address him; I simply ask.

"Drink some more blood then. Your body may not be getting enough. After all, none of us are the same and our needs are different."

He speaks like he's human. I finish the glass and pour myself another. When I lift it to my lips, it doesn't taste as sweet. Its flavor has been lost from my tongue. After finishing it I wash out the glass and put it into the dishwasher before heading towards the door.

Something is different. A small orange glow catches my eye. Turning to my left, I see that there is a lit candle in front of a picture of my mother. I stop in my tracks. Ticking off the dates in my head, I realize that today is her birthday.

I never knew much about her. My father never said too much about her, either. He said she died in a car crash when it careened off the mountainside during a winter snowstorm and exploded as it hit the bottom. They never recovered the body, saying that the fire consumed her entirely and left not even a trace of anything. It's what he told my sister and me anyway. I half-heartedly pay my respects to her. I didn't know her too much, but I know that if I don't do this, it wouldn't sit well with my conscience.

I don't know what to believe anymore. I just know that I have to go now; otherwise I'll be late for class. I'm just absentmindedly doing everything. Riding my bike uphill, locking it, and then walking the rest of the way to school. I can't stop thinking about that dream. The blood, the sex, something about it arouses me. Am I slowly turning into some… some sick freak? Will I turn out like those mad killers? I'm afraid that if the dream didn't end where it did, Haruhi and I would have been going at it for a good while.

I slide into my desk seat by the window and lay my head down. I don't know what to expect from Haruhi today, nor do I know what to expect out of me in regards to her. I'm hoping that I don't meet her, almost. A part of me is afraid of what will happen if I ever did lose control, but I still want to meet with her today.

If things turned out for the worst, would I be able to make Suzumiya Haruhi disappear? And then what would happen to me?

People are still wearing the sterile masks. At first I thought this whole situation would blow over, that no one would catch the particular germ. However, when I heard the first diagnosis of the sickness last week, I suppose I had become the pseudo-plague bringer of the school. As time wore on, more and more people started saying that they missed class because they caught the cold, or whatever it was. At the very least, Haruhi can only believe me on the fact that I caught something, creating the reason why I was unable to meet her on that particular Saturday.

Eventually, I see her come in. I tend to sit up when I see her, but today I just want to stay down. Besides, she has a tendency to make me sit up by pulling my collar. When she takes her seat, however, she only speaks to me instead. "Rough night?" Her voice lacks the usual enthusiasm.

"Sort of. Had a bad dream."

"A nightmare?"

"No, just a bad dream. Couldn't sleep afterwards." A nightmare doesn't leave you with a boner so hard that just once isn't enough. Or twice for that matter.

"Well… same here."

This makes me sit up and slowly turn to her. She's looking out the window, her head resting on her arms, just like I was a moment ago. As I stare, her cheeks tinge pink, but she avoids eye contact. Did we share the same dream last night? The last time that happened was when the world was almost recreated. But there is no way for me to tell without asking Nagato or the others. Still, how would I have come to such a solution so quickly when last time I almost didn't make it? And what a solution it was…

I wonder which aspect of the dream, if we did share the same one, was the one she liked and if her reasons of not being able to sleep are the same as mine.

She's got her hair in a ponytail and it's off to the side, exposing her neck to me. I reach out with my close arm to her nearest shoulder and give it a small pat. "Well, try not to think about it too much." I inch a little bit towards her neck, savoring the feel of the smooth skin. "The day will get better." She tenses for a bit, but relaxes afterwards.

Class is about to start. I pull my hand away and turn to face the teacher. I can only believe in my own words and hope that it will get better.

---

One thing I really like about Haruhi is that she's adventurous. Maybe that's what really drew me to her after she forced me to acknowledge her existence by having her hair in a ponytail, revealing her smooth neck to me. There are times when her adventurous side takes terrible turns, but some of the times have been genuinely enjoyable. Like now.

She's on my lap, looking down on me a bit. We're in the clubroom again. Her neck is in sight for a short moment before she leans in and kisses me. Her hair is down, but her neck is still visible to me, so I don't mind. It's a short kiss though, nothing big or special. "Kyon," her voice is a bit hesitant, "do you want to do something… different?" Her cheeks blush a bit.

My arms wrap across her waist. "What kind of different?" My heart beats a bit faster.

"So far, all we've been doing is kissing. While it's nice, I would… I would like to do more."

I am silent for a moment before speaking. "What do you have in mind?"

One of her hands moves and comes to a stop over one of mine. Picking it up, she slowly moves it so it's on top of one of her breasts. "Do… Do you want to touch me?" her voice is soft.

I can feel my own cheeks warming up. My mouth opens to say something, but I don't really know what to say to her. Instead, I feel my own hand gently closing over her soft flesh. "Do you want something in return?" I manage to say.

Her face turns a darker red. She releases my hand and shakily moves her own towards my pants. She slowly undoes the belt before taking apart the button and fly. I can feel the light brushes of her hand against me before she pulls back the front of my pants, leaving only my briefs between the two of us. She slowly reaches for my hardened member and I try to prepare myself for the feeling. I would feel embarrassed if I were to suddenly… ji-

The room door bursts open with a bang. My heart jumps and I turn my head to see Haruhi enter along with a set of plastic bags from the local convenience store, albeit she's sideways. "Good evening, everyone," her voice is strong and her hair is down.

I begin to turn to where Haruhi was at first, but realize that some sort of hard surface is pushing against me. Trying to lean back, I realize that I had my head on the table. Looking down, I see that my pants are still tightly fastened.

I must have fallen asleep. And 'everyone'? Looking around, I see that the rest of the SOS club members are present. They must have seen that I was sleeping in here and left me alone when they entered. Damn, I was hoping that I would at least be able to speak with Nagato in private before anything happened today. Once again, I will have to wait for her to be alone to find out the truth about the dream.

How long was I sleeping for? I turn to look out the window and see that the sun has already begun to set and it's beginning to turn dark. I should be home by now. I really, really should be home now. My father would have no end to his scolding. Even though I'm old enough that being afraid of a scolding seems silly, it's still something I want to avoid. Now that I know he's a vampire, I don't know what he's capable of.

"As you know, this weekend we've prepared for our vampire hunt," Haruhi continues to speak. "We've made stakes and we've appropriated holy water. We also should all have some hand mirrors now." Oh, right, mirrors… "All we need is a place to start our search."

"Where should we start?" Koizumi asks her. One day, I'm going to punch you. I am going to punch you and it is going to feel good. For me, that is.

She crosses her arms and has that adamant smirk that I see too often for my own good. "We're going to have the first search right here, right now."

If I was tired a moment ago, I no longer am now. "What?" I must have appeared absolutely livid to the rest of the group.

"Is there an objection, Kyon?" one of her eyebrows seems raised and she's frowning. "I turned the lights out and had everyone keep quiet so no one would suspect that we were hiding here. I also tipped off the janitor to get him to skip over our room when cleaning. Are you telling me that you don't want to do this?"

At the very least she is beginning to pay for things out of her own pocket. I quickly think of an excuse to try and postpone the hunt. "I don't have my pocket mirror with me!"

Her mouth curls up a bit. "I had a feeling you would forget yours. So I grabbed an extra one from home. She puts one in front of me.

Damn. I pick it up and put it into my pocket. "But what about my homework? I don't want to show up to class empty-handed. Our teacher hates me enough already!"

"Then you shouldn't have been sleeping in the clubroom!" But I didn't know that we would be doing this! "Even then, missing one day's worth of homework isn't going to be the end of the world."

So says the one who has tried to end it, or, at the very least, rewrite it. If I was a normal human, I wouldn't be so worried about it. One day's work is nothing, and if my dad asked me why I did not come home, I suppose I could have said that I was at Haruhi's house, although he may had disapproved of how fast our relationship may have been moving.

I still need to talk to her about the issue of money. Maybe I'll have a chance to talk about it later.

But my biggest concern is not any of that. What I'm worried about is my body's need for its' daily dose of blood. If I don't get any, will something like before happen? Will I lose control and drain the blood from a living being? I will be fortunate if I take it from some small animal, but if there isn't one around, I fear I will lose control of myself.

Maybe there will be something in the cafeteria…

She puts the bags on top of the table. "I know that we're going to be here for a while, so I decided to buy dinner for us from the convenience store down the street."

Speaking of dinner, I realize how hungry I am. Lunch feels so far away when I think about it. Taking a box out of the bag along with a set of chopsticks, I pass them down to the rest of the group. Haruhi begins to do the same.

Surprisingly, Asahina-san did not faint from fear or surprise. Perhaps she's gotten used to the idea of the club doing strange activities or she has steeled herself to somehow deal with vampires.

After everyone has received one, I realize that there is a pair of chopsticks, but no meal for me. I look at Haruhi, who's holding one of them.

"Sorry, Kyon, I had planned to get one for all of us but I could only afford four of them." Walking over to her desk, she takes her chair and moves it besides mine before setting the dinner down in front of us. "We'll share this one instead."

To be honest, I was feeling a bit betrayed by the fact that I wouldn't be getting something to eat, but now my mouth must be wide open. She may as well have announced it to the world that she and I are dating. I'm sure that somehow the information is going to escape this room and the school will soon know about it. As Haruhi and I begin to share our meal, I can't help but wonder what will happen when everyone knows. Maybe it won't be tomorrow, but sooner or later, they will know.

That is also assuming that I will be fine when I have not had the dose of blood I sorely need. My father said that taking blood in controlled amounts satiates our desire to feed. If I assume that it acts like a drug, then my body would have some sort of withdrawal symptom. Only that this time, the withdrawal results in a vicious attack at something or someone for its blood. I cannot just outlast the cravings, either; if I don't get blood, I'm sure my body will die after a while.

I make sure that my fangs are retracted before we eat in silence. None of the others want to say something about the two of us dating while I am constantly worrying about my upcoming problem. I find myself eating slower than usual, but Haruhi doesn't seem willing to waste time. She's started to work on my half.

As a result, she and I finish our meal faster than the others. "Alright everyone," she stands up. "Kyon and I will head out first. We'll be taking the west wing. You three take care of the east. We'll meet up at the bottom floor entrance." I wish the other three would make some sort of objection at least some of the time. Asahina-san has stopped trying to protest and mindlessly follows Haruhi nowadays. Perhaps she sees that it's futile to try and resist.

Haruhi walks over to a cabinet and opens it. She grabs a bottle of water and a stake and hands it to me before grabbing a set for herself. She also takes a flashlight with her and moves out the door. Getting up, I begin to follow her as she takes a left turn. "Come on, you're always so slow." she says as she turns on the flashlight. The sun has just set and the hall lights are out, so everything is slowly becoming darker and darker.

My mind is too focused on particularly heavier things right now. I can't walk and think too hard at the same time. "I have a lot on my mind right now." Nevertheless, I try to keep up with her.

"Alright," she lowers her voice, "whenever we round a corner or something, we'll check with our mirrors first. If we don't see anyone in the mirror but someone is in the hallway, then they're a vampire."

I lower my voice as well. "What if they're not?"

"But that's the definition of a vampire. They don't have reflections."

She should see me in the morning then. She would be in for a surprise. "And what do we do if we do encounter a vampire? Or even a regular person?"

She thinks for a moment. "If it's a vampire, there's the chance that it will move towards us. We don't know what it's capable of or what it's after besides blood. In that situation, we'd have to fight it. Otherwise, don't attract its attention. If it's a regular person, then just leave them alone. We won't go down that hallway to avoid being caught."

"Right." I just know that this won't end well. As we continue down the hall, we remain silent, holding onto our 'weapons'. We would probably be holding hands otherwise, but…

Hm… holding hands… "Hey, Haruhi," I whisper.

"What?"

"We still need to go on our first date. Any place you want to go in particular?"

"Kyon," she sounds annoyed, "now's really not the best time for this."

"But when will we get around to it?" I feel like this is the only way that can get my mind off the feeling of impending doom that slowly creeps closer.

"I don't know, don't ask me." She doesn't slow down. "I don't even know if it would count as a first date if we went on one anyway. I'm pretty sure we've done more than most couples will do in one week."

"I'm sure that a first date would count as a first date, even if it is only for the namesake."

We keep going until we arrive at the stair well. Haruhi stands still, unsure of which path to take. She turns to me.

"Any idea on what path to take?"

I think a bit more, doing my best to push the thoughts of biting someone away. "Our current goal is to avoid being found by someone in addition to trying to find a vampire. A stairwell in the middle of a hallway is the most dangerous in this situation. We have to listen to make sure no one is going up or down it while using the mirror to make sure no one is in the hallways. We would also want to be careful with our flashlight, as someone could see it and come after us. I say we keep going until we reach the stairwell at the end of the hallway."

"I see. Keep an eye out for anything following us. I'll cover the front."

The sun has now completely gone down. It's dark. I continue to watch the path behind us to make sure that there is no one there. I think to myself that this would be a good time to use my enhanced vision, but then I'm afraid that the golden glow surrounding Haruhi would put her in danger. Every now and then I turn around to make sure that I'm still following her. This is such a farce. A boy who is secretly a rather untraditional vampire is following a girl who is out trying to catch and kill traditional vampires. I'm sure that if this were on a play bill, the average person would not know which part is harder to believe. We even have holy water stored in plastic bottles, which I'm sure Haruhi has still found no way to actually use if we were to find a vampire weak to it.

Speaking of those bottles… "Haruhi, have you figured out a way to use those bottles of holy water? Because if not, I'm just going to say that I'm feeling kind of thirsty."

She stops dead and turns around before speaking in a hushed but fierce voice. "Are you even taking this seriously?" She shines the light in my face. I turn away, but she pulls me back by my tie. I really should stop wearing them. "We may just die out here if you do drink it, so don't!"

"Oh, what would I ever do if I died here?" I can't quite say that vampires don't exist. "What would my precious family do with the loss of their only son?" They'd probably just be fine, really. My sister can already take care of herself. She's stronger than me, after all.

"And that's why you can't die! That's why I can't die!" she lets go of my tie. I quickly remove it and put it into my pocket. At the very least, she won't be able to grab me so violently anymore. I also undo the top button on my shirt. It's always felt uncomfortable to me.

There's a slight pause of silence before I speak. "What if you were going to die tonight?" I do not understand why I said it.

Her anger ceases and she becomes still. It's not sudden. The emotion just slowly leaves her body. "But… I can't die. I'm… I'm the leader of the club."

I press on. "But what if you did?"

"Then…" her stare drops to her feet. "I don't know."

I say nothing. I only watch her small form.

"Kyon," one of her hands holds onto the side of her arm, before slowly looking up at me. "I'm scared."

"I'm scared, too." But for different reasons.

"But… I want to find them," I can see her hands tightening. Her voice is adamant, "I want to see a vampire. Maybe we won't confront it. Maybe we'll just see one go by and we'll keep silent. I don't need to tell anyone else that I saw one. It's enough for me to know that they exist."

A part of me just wants to come out of the closet and say that I'm one and I'm right in front of her. My better half instead puts the stake and water down before laying my hands on her shoulders, one of them sliding a bit onto the side of her neck. "For me, I would feel best if we were to avoid actual contact with them as well. Still, if you want to find them, I'll just have to make sure that we come out alive." I know that I'm saying empty words; there probably aren't any vampires in school at this hour, nor will we die. To her though, the one who believes in the fantastical, they may mean everything.

"That's quite a thing to say for someone who was threatening to drink the water not too long ago."

I smile a bit, "Don't take this moment away from me." She smiles back. I lean in and give her a soft kiss. I linger in front of her, caressing her shoulder and neck a bit before finally pulling away. "Come on then," I bend down and pick up our 'weapons'. "Let's keep going." I would have liked to just stay there and kissed her all night long. She probably knows that I want to and I don't think she would have minded too much either. She would probably just postpone the search for another time.

We continue down the hall until we reach the stairwell. Making sure that we hear no footsteps, we quietly go down a floor and continue our search, taking care around the corners. Of course, I'm mostly playing along, but Haruhi takes this seriously. I assume that, while my oath to make sure that neither of us gets killed is entirely unnecessary, she still believes that they could be somewhere out there. I'm still worried about me losing control of myself, but I'm starting to think that if I can just stay focused then I can last until morning, head home, and grab a cup of blood.

Now that I think about it, when I changed and craved blood, it happened when I awakened from my sleep. Maybe if I can just stay awake I will have a better control over myself. Although I don't know if we'll even be sleeping tonight, I suppose that it will be a good time for me to do my homework if we do.

Eventually, we arrive on the last floor. Just one more hallway left before we reach the main entrance, where we're supposed to meet up with the other group. Haruhi and I hide behind a corner. Taking out the mirror, I put it just past the side. Haruhi is leaning over the side to see if there is anyone visible in the first place.

"See anything?" she whispers.

"Nope."

"Alright, it's clear then." I put away my mirror and follow after her. She stops in the center of the main entrance. There is almost no light coming in from the windows near the front door.

"Looks like we didn't run into anything," I say. "Even then though, I don't think we'll be able to head home. The main gates should be locked, not to mention that there will be patrols or cameras keeping watch."

"Then I guess we'll be staying here overnight…" She takes a seat by the wall, just outside of the small bit of light coming in. I take a seat next to her.

Remaining here is perfectly fine with me, I think. "I wonder how long it will be for the others to get here." I take out my cell phone and begin to dial Koizumi's number. Before I can hit the call button, however, her hand takes a hold of mine. I look over to Haruhi, and even in the dim light, I can see that she wants to continue where we left off not too long ago.

I put my phone away and she climbs up on me, softly placing herself on top of my lap while turning off the flashlight and putting it aside. For a moment, I pause. We've never been in such an intimate position before. My hands slowly place themselves above her hips, pushing her a bit closer towards me. Her hands go on my shoulders and we immediately lose ourselves on each other's lips, our eyes closed.

I can feel myself getting hard as she slips her tongue in. I'm sure that she feels it as well, as she's almost right on top of it. She doesn't reel back in disgust, though. If anything, she only pauses a tiny bit before resuming her exploring of my mouth, maybe even pushing herself against me. It's not long before it's entirely rigid. I can't help but be embarrassed.

She pulls away. "Kyon, we've been together for a bit now."

"Almost a week, right?" One of my hands moves up to stroke the side of her neck a bit. I think she can see my blush through the despite the darkness. I can see her tinged cheeks, but I'm sure that mine are darker.

"More than just that, we've been together since the birth of the SOS Brigade. I think… I think we're ready for the next step," she's wants to press on, but she's still wary about the subject.

"We still haven't had our first date, you know," it's not really an objection. "What are you planning?"

"Let's move back behind the hallway. That way no one will see us." Getting up, we quietly make our way back to the wall we hid behind.

"So, what's the next step in our relationship?" I'm leaning against the corner.

She looks into my eyes. "Can I… Can I see your… your..." She doesn't even have to finish the sentence for me to know what she wants. Our faces must be like red balloons now.

"W-Well…" I pause and think. I could find myself suffering from the effects of withdrawal any moment now, and I have to find a way to stay awake.

The obvious answer is no, but I can't help but say otherwise. Even if this leads to something dangerous, I can't stay focused on the risk. "I… I guess it's okay." She slowly looks down at the bulge below my belt. I see her body get lower and lower until her head is at my waist, watching me with a concentrated gaze. Her hands reach for my belt and begin to undo it. She then lowers my fly and unbuttons the top of my pants. My body is entirely frozen as she slowly pulls my pants down.

"W-Whoa…" her voice trails off.

I think I closed my eyes, because there's only darkness and a sudden breeze around my waist. I can feel my hard member bobbing up and down a bit in the cool air. However, there seems to be a small patch of heat on it, which must be coming from the flashlight. I just need to try and stay calm. I would like to avoid any embarrassment that could happen. Hopefully she doesn't start laughing at how strange it looks. Maybe she'll just kind of admire it for a moment and then put my pan-

Is that her hand? Okay, okay, try not to panic. Don't panic. Don't panic. Maybe she just wants to see it from multiple angles. I didn't really say she could touch, but I'm not about to say no to this. She's moving it up and down and left and right and – okay, stroking is a bit too much, even light stroking. Even if this is just exploring, this is beginning to get out of…

… Wait… what is… oh god. Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god I think that's her breath. Just stay calm. STAY CALM. Try not to move. Stop shaking. Try not to make weird noises if she does start using her mou-

"Aaahhh!"

It's a bloodcurdling scream. "That sounded like Mikuru-chan... I think it came from the other side of the building." Haruhi says, keeping her voice low. I open my eyes and look down. Haruhi is leaning over the wall, having let go of me.

A part of me really wishes that we would not have been interrupted, already missing the way her hand held me. "I wonder what could have happened…" I never knew that I could be so angry because of something Asahina-san did.

I must have been scowling and she probably saw it. "I know you're disappointed that we can't continue, but sorry," she says to me, "We're needed somewhere else right now. Maybe next time."

Right, next time. I put my pants back on over my uncomfortable erection. "So I don't get anything tonight?"

She can easily tell that I'm rather bitter over the interruption, and yet she turns to me. "You make it sound like I'm a thief. The night is still young, you know." Before I can say anything, she picks up her equipment and takes off to the other hallway.

I grudgingly grab my own set and follow after her. I just hope that whatever I get is worth it and that I don't lose control of myself in the meantime. Even if what I get is worth the wait, I certainly do not want last night's dream to come true.

* * *

As you may have realized in this chapter, the story has sort of begun to take a turn for the M-rated, if only for this particular event of the overall story. I don't know how much of the story will contain M-rated material, but if this really continues, then I will change the rating to M. I don't intend to have a lemon, which is what I usually use to determine whether a story gets an M-rating or not, but things can change. Again, just a warning.

On a side note, I have some interestingly painful news for you guys. It's actually a plot hole that I realize would exist after publishing this chapter. In the prologue, I wrote that Kyon is supported by his two working parents. But in this chapter, I write that his mother died in a car accident. Whoops. Obviously, this cannot be right. I have taken liberties to edit the prologue to say that Kyon is supported by his single father. I'm kind of bothered that I failed to realize this earlier, but it's much easier to change one small sentence than rewrite a large portion of this chapter and ruin what I had planned for it.


	7. Chapter 6

I blame break for giving me so much time to write. Hopefully you readers have had happy holidays and are ready to continue into the new year. I'm a bit worried about writing so much so quickly because I fear that my quality of writing would drop. Regardless, however, I'll be returning to a slower update cycle due to classes starting up again.

Silencian: About Kyon not being as sarcastic: I said that he kind of can't be that anymore because of what he's become, but I've been trying to put it in more often. However, there are things that I believe will be barring him from being sarcastic anymore.

Also, I feel that I'm very sure about how the rest of this story will progress. Also, I will switch the rating to M after a week. I feel that it's necessary after this chapter.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onwards!

* * *

Chapter Six

I think I will forever know this night as the night that I almost got a blowjob. Her breath was on me and I was mere moments away from basking in pleasure before that… that damned Lolita girl ruined it.

At the same time though, her scream probably kept anything bad from happening in the end. In my current state, I'm not sure what would have happened.

Still though, I find myself bitter as Haruhi and I make our way to the other side of the building. Quickly rounding the corner, we keep running until we arrive at the stairwell. Through the darkness, I faintly make out three standing figures.

Let's see. The shortest and smallest one has to be Nagato. There's no mistaking of it. There is one that's wide and tall. It looks to be about Koizumi's height, but it's particularly wider for some reason. But then, who's the third? It doesn't look very much like Asahina-san. It's taller, a bit thinner… who is this?

"Ah, Kyon-kun, there ya are," the feminine voice is familiar, but I can't quite put a name on the person. As our flashlight shines onto the figures, I see who it really is. The smallest turns out to be Nagato. The tallest, as I guessed, was Koizumi. But the reason why he is looking wider is because he's holding the unconscious Asahina-san. I had thought something attacked her, but I suppose that would be silly.

When the light finally moves onto the third figure, I realize that it's also someone I know. It's the tall, green-haired, ever-bubbly Tsuruya-san. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahaha, well, ya see, I forgot something important that I need in my locker, but I bumped into lil' Mikuru-chan on the way there."

"It was quite a surprise to see you here." Shut up Koizumi.

As for calling Asahina-san little, I must disagree on all grounds. "How did you get in? This place is closed."

"Why, I could ask ya the same thing," even in the face of being caught, she shows no fear or shame whatsoever. She's always smiling.

"We're here looking for vampires," Haruhi says. "You're not one, are you?"

"Hehe…" She changes her smile a bit so that it seems extra wide with a hint of darkness. "I am a bit thirsty. Maybe I'll just take a sip outta the cutie over here." Raising her hands, she playfully pretends like she is some sort of monster and walks over to Asahina-san. I'm reminded of the horrible movie we made some time ago. Before she can make a bite though, she starts laughing, unable to control herself in the face of her own humor.

"We've got some water from a temple, if you don't mind." I move over to her and give her one of the smaller bottles of holy water. Out of the side of my eye I can see that Haruhi is staring intently as Tsuruya-san opens it and begins to drink.

"Ah, how refreshing!" She continues to drink. I believe Haruhi was hoping for some sort of strange reaction, like smoke coming out of her throat as the water burned her insides. However, I doubt that such will be the case.

"How did you get in here?" I can't help but ask. I know a bit about her and how she seems to have some sort of business relationship with Koizumi, but that's all.

"My family happens to know one o' the staff members. They pulled some strings to allow me to get in this late. What about ya? Didya hide somewhere in the school?"

Haruhi answers before I do. "Yeah, we hid inside our club room until the school was closed. We're actually about to head back to the room now. We've searched the building but haven't found anything."

"Aw, that's too bad. If ya ever find one, be sure to let me know, okay? As for me, I need to get what I came after. Cya around!" She runs past Haruhi and I before we can even say goodbye.

I can't help but feel that her presence here is suspicious. However, I don't think I'll act upon it. To her, we could have been doing something just as bad. I don't think either party will rat out the other, but both parties will be wary about the other. As the reunited club treks up back to the clubroom, Haruhi asks if the other group found anything of interest. As I expected, the answer is no. Why would a vampire be on school grounds at this time anyway? No students are around and unless he or she targeted a staff member, there would be no prey to catch. At least I have a reason to be around.

Once we're all inside, we put away our 'tools' and take a seat. After placing Asahina-san in a chair, we begin to have a debriefing of sorts. She'll probably be out for the night. "Alright everyone, I know we didn't find any vampires, but cheer up! I'm sure that there will be some the next time we have a search."

Only you would be happy to try another search. "Where exactly do you plan to search for them?"

"Maybe we should try to look somewhere in the city." Once again, Koizumi with the suggestion…

"That's not a bad idea, but the city is so large. We'd have to break up into teams if we're to cover such an area. It's too dangerous that way though. I say we pick a building and do it one at a time." Haruhi turns to me. "Any suggestions?"

I lay my head on the table. "That's going to take forever. Not to mention that chances are these buildings are going to be locked. Do you plan to bribe every security officer you see? It's going to be very expensive, you know." You're not going to be using my money for your plans.

"Hm…" She starts to think. "You know, you're right."

"What?" I lift my head off the table and look at her.

"We're not going to find any vampires in office buildings. We should start looking in abandoned warehouses and such."

I'm hoping for too much. I lay my head back down.

---

Eventually, Haruhi planned out another trip for our vampire hunt. Thankfully it isn't going to be taking place tomorrow. I would have probably gone mad and punched Koizumi. He hasn't done anything wrong yet, but I like to think of it as insurance. If something happens to me, then at least I got to punch him.

I checked my watch earlier, and it says it's around two in the morning. Everyone else is asleep, but I have to stay awake. Not just because I'm afraid of losing control of myself, but also because I need to do my homework. I have my papers strewn across my portion of the table and a flashlight so I can see just what I'm doing. I know I don't exactly need the light, but I'm afraid that if I use my… my other vision, things could get ugly. I don't want to see any blood, whether it is in dark red or glowing gold.

It must be uncomfortable sleeping in a chair. Even if they're leaning forward and have their head on the table, I can't imagine that Koizumi or Asahina-san are comfortable in the position they're in. Nagato might be another issue altogether; she's sleeping upright in her chair. Haruhi chose to lie on the floor using my coat as a pillow. Luckily, she has a sleeping bag in here, although I don't know why she has one in the first place. Did she want to go camping at some point in time?

As I finish the last of my homework, I sigh. Of all nights, this is the worst of them all. The scenario couldn't be worse. Putting my things away, I turn off the flashlight.

My heart pounds. With the light off, I realize that the surroundings are bathed in a faint blue and everyone has a bit of gold about them. My father said that while I can normally turn my vision on and off, it begins to come back when I've had insufficient amounts of blood.

I could turn violent any moment now. I have to leave the room. Being as quiet as I can, I get up and make my way to the door. I try to open it as silently as possible, cursing beneath my breath when I realize that it's squeaky. When I'm finally out, I close it and sigh.

Maybe I should just make a run for it now and go home, then sneak back in. Anything is better than staying here and letting myself lose control. I head down the hall and begin to take the stairs, but something catches my eye from down the hall. It looks… green.

Green? I shouldn't be able to see the color green in this situation. Everything is a tint of blue except for real people. I begin to move towards it and it retreats behind the corner where the other set of stairs are. The person seems to know that they've caught my attention.

When I get to the corner, I slow down and lean against it. I don't know what I'm up against, so I need to be wary. It's not human. Maybe it's a werewolf. I remember hearing that werewolves are the common enemies of vampires, although no one really knows why. I find that it doesn't make much se-

"There ya are!" Before I can realize who is pulling me, a hand shoots out from behind the corner, grabs my shirt, and pulls me to the other side of it. "I was wonderin' when ya'd show up."

I almost can't believe it. "Tsuruya-san, is that you?" Her entire frame is washed with a sea green glow.

"That's right!" she smiles brightly.

"What are you doing back here? You should have been home already."

"Ah, well, I'm actually here to help ya out."

"Help me? How?"

She goes next to a locker and reaches on top of it. I follow her hand to see that she grasps a small paper cup and brings it back down. "Here, ya musta been real thirsty, right?"

She hands me the cup and I can't believe the contents. It's blood, glowing with its golden aura. I can't help but just stare. It's only half full, but it's blood.

"Whatcha waitin' for? Drink already!"

"What do you mean?" I can't just let her know that-

"C'mon! Yer a vampire, right? Drink!" She puts her hands on her hips. "I worked hard to get this blood to ya, ya know."

What? "I-I don't know what you're talking about! Me? A vampire?"

"I can see that yer one. Ever since I saw you last Monday, ya've had a green glow about you, a sure sign of being a vampire."

Green glow? So Tsuruya-san is- "You mean to say that you… you're… you're a vampire?"

"That's right!" She opens her mouth and pulls back her lips, bearing her elongated fangs. Then she slowly retracts one of the one on her right, leaving just one. "The fang isn't just for show, ya know."

It's almost a little too sudden. "But how do-"

"Just hurry up and drink already! I don't want ya to lose control here. I'll answer some questions later if ya want, but ya gotta drink first!"

The blood! She's right about that. I quickly down the sweet contents. I never knew I would feel glad to drink it. I take a breath. It's like a weight has been lifted from my chest and I slowly blink away the blue.

"It's pig's blood. I woulda got more, but I didn't wanna risk getting caught by the janitors."

"Thanks. But why-"

"Don't forget yer fangs!"

I retract them and then continue. "But why you here? And how did you get into here in the first place?"

"I climbed over the school wall, it's not very hard. As for why I'm here, that's because yer father called in a favor from us. He wanted us to find ya and make sure that ya got some blood to drink."

"My… My father knows your family?" How would he know them though?

"Yeah! Apparently, our dads met in high school. While they aren't really buddy-buddy with each other, they're willing to pull favors for one another because of their similar nature."

"So, about getting what you needed from your locker. That was a lie? And how did you know I was at the school?"

"Eh heh, sorry Kyon-kun. Had to cover my tracks! As for knowin' you were here, well, I sniffed ya out."

"Like some sort of search dog?"

"Well, maybe I'm part bloodhound!" She chuckles a bit at her own joke. "But as vampires, we're able to pick out individual scents. Ya might not be able to yet, but yer senses did become stronger, right? My dad says he can hear my heartbeat from across the room if he pays attention to it."

"But if you were tracking me, how come you found Asahina-san first?"

"Well," she blushes a small bit, "When I first started, I was a bit lost. Yer scent led to the school, but it… mixed with some other scents."

"Mixed?"

"Well, it smelled like things were getting a bit… hot and heavy with Haruhi-chan, ya know?"

I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks. "Oh…" My gaze falls to the floor.

"Yeah, not only that, but her scent is all over ya. That's why I decided to find lil' Mikuru-chan to indirectly find ya. I'm way more familiar with her scent anyway."

So she was the one that ruined my potential blowjob. I'm still rather bitter because of it, but I'm not as angry anymore. There was good reason behind it, after all.

"Well, if ya don't have any more questions, I gotta go." She takes the used cup away from me before leaping down the stairs, but lands without a sound. "Have to get home soon. Take care!" How did she do that? Will I be able to do that too?

Regardless of what I can do in the future, however, I'm now starting to wonder just who Tsuruya-san is in the larger picture of things. If I recall, they're one of the large parties interested in Haruhi and they also share some sort of connection with Koizumi. So does Koizumi know I'm a vampire?

And if my father knew someone who was a vampire as well, why did he want to also tell the priest that he and his family were vampires as well? Considering that his reason was to help me cope with being a vampire, wouldn't just having a relation with the Tsuruya family have been fine?

I continue to think as I move towards the corner. And why is Tsuruya-san so familiar with Asahina-san's scent? Is it because-

"There you are." for the second time that night, I am pulled behind a corner. I don't think the buttons on my shirt can take this any longer. This time, it's Haruhi's face that I see. "I was wondering where you disappeared to."

Quick! Think of a lie! "I was taking a walk around. I couldn't quite fall asleep just yet."

"It's already very late now and it's dangerous out here. You can't just take a walk out here." She lets go of my shirt. I straighten up and readjust my clothes.

"Then why are you out here?"

"There was some sort of noise that woke me up. When I looked around, I realized that you weren't in the room so I came out to search for you. As brigade leader, it's my job to make sure that you're safe."

"So for safety's sake, huh?"

"Right. How would I be able to tell your little sister that her big brother died because he was careless and got his blood sucked out of him?"

"Hmm, how would you do it? I wonder…" I humor her for a bit.

"This isn't funny, you know!" Her anger is bursting at the seams.

"Right, right," I put my hands on the side of her shoulders and gently push her against the wall. At first she shows confusion, but a slow blush rises to her face, as I'm sure she recalls a similar situation. "I wonder who's really in danger here. I think it's time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain."

Her mouth opens and closes, but she's at a loss for words. I lean in and kiss her, taking initiative of the situation and slipping my tongue in. My hands massage her arms, trying to calm her. I pull away and move up to the side of her face.

"I want to touch you," I whisper into her ear. "I want to feel the skin beneath your clothes. I want to touch you with nothing between the two of us." I can feel her trembling and I feel so evil. "What do you say? Will you pay back the favor? I won't even ask to look at you. I just want to touch you." I feel so deliciously evil, like a charming devil that she just can't say no to. Part of this is payback of sorts. I'm sure that the other part is my own desire.

I hope I'm not scaring her. "You just have to say yes or no." My lips move to her neck, that neck, and lick and suckle at it. I know my father warned me against it, but I can't resist right now. One of my hands travels leaves the side of her shoulder and travels down to her hip, caressing the area.

She pauses for a moment, wondering what to do. But in the end, she answers, "Y…Yes… you can… you can touch me." It's so soft, I almost didn't hear it. "But no looking, okay? And try to be fast, it's dangerous out here."

"It never crossed my mind." My own heart races. "If you don't mind, let's get a bit more comfortable." I gently settle in behind her so that I'm against the wall and she's leaning against me. I trail my hands up the sides of her waist and put my head over her shoulder and close my eyes. There is this quick beating I hear.

Very slowly, I slip both of my hands up her shirt. She begins to tense up. "Try to stay calm," I whisper to her. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just tell me if you want to stop." My hands begin to snake further up and go under her bra. Her skin is so soft. She lets out a gasp before closing her lips. That beating gets faster, and I realize that it's her heart I'm hearing.

Perhaps it's because I closed my eyes, but my other senses seem to have heightened. I can feel each individual portion of her breasts as I gently grasp at them. I can also smell something different, something that seems out of the normal spectrum but inviting at the same time. Is this Haruhi's scent?

I am so hard right now. I push against her back and she lets out a squeak. I want her to know how aroused I am. One of my hands begin to trail down from her breasts, traveling down the side and beginning to play by the waistband of her skirt. Her hands begin to take hold of the arm, but I don't think she's stopping me. Slipping under it, I let my hand travel over her hip for a moment before moving towards the front of her panties.

She tenses again. I kiss her cheek. I can feel the heat coming off from the side of her face, and I'm sure that my own cheeks are deep red as well. My fingers travel lower until they reach her covered opening. She lets out a small gasp and squirms a bit. Her legs close on my hand, but I continue to feel her through the cloth, and I realize that Haruhi's scent has changed.

No. Changed isn't the right word. It still has this unique portion of it, but now it's slowly being covered up by another stronger smell. As I continue to play around with her body, she begins to lose the demeanor that she had when we first started. Her breaths are shaky and her body is quivering ever so slightly. The scent that is becoming stronger is her arousal.

A part of me is encouraged by this. I can feel moisture beginning to form and her breathing is heavy now. Her chest rises up and down as I fondle her body. It's time for the real deal. I begin to play with the waistband of her panties this time. Her grip tightens on me, but again there is no sign to tell me to stop. My hand slips beneath it and travels lower through a tuft of hair until I reach it.

She cries out. As my fingers travel up and down the opening, her body trembles violently. I move back to her neck, kissing it. There is something about her complete submission to me that is invigorating. I pull her towards my body again, grinding myself into her back. She arches a bit and is beginning to lose control of her voice.

I play with her body more and more. There is something about it that I cannot draw myself away from. Maybe it's simply ingrained instincts from generations past, but I think I'm beginning to lose myself in her body. I don't even care anymore about what I didn't get tonight. Even if I'm going past the original idea of this trade, the consequences are inconsequential to me. I don't even need to see just what I'm doing. My other senses are enough. I would like to see it, but-

Whoa… is this… is this the-

Her body suddenly tenses and shakes. She arches her back and her voice comes out in broken gasps and cries. The grip on me tightens and almost begins to hurt. Her legs close around my hand. Pleased with myself, I continue to rub and touch and knead and play with her until it all dies down.

I finally open my eyes to look at her. She's still breathing heavily and seems to be in a slight daze or moment of disbelief, her head leaning back against my shoulder. As I pull my hands away from her body, I maneuver myself and softly kiss her lips. Wiping off the liquid on my pants, I circle my arms around her waist.

"So, how was it?" I ask her.

She snaps out of her stupor and puts on a small frown, although she makes no motion to free herself from me. "I can't believe that you went that far. And did you really have to shove your… your…"

"My what?" I tease her a bit, pushing my still hard member onto her back again.

"Damn it, Kyon!" she eventually frees herself and turns around in the middle of the hall, giving me the disapproving stare that I have grown accustomed to. There is something that I like about that face, even if it usually results in something unfavorable. Maybe I'm a masochist. "What made you think that it would be okay to… to do all that? Isn't that a little too fast?" She is still blushing, however.

"Well, you were planning to use your mouth earlier." Maybe she thinks that I won't be able to see it in the darkness, but I can tell that her cheeks have changed another shade of red. "Maybe if you had let me look, I would have used mine."

"S-Shut up already!" She heads back in the direction of the club room. "We need to get back. We've made too much noise."

I quickly catch up to her. "You know, you never told me whether you liked it or not."

Her tone of voice does not change. "Well, I… I came, didn't I?" She doesn't turn towards me, but instead keeps walking.

"Fair enough," I place my hand on her hip and give it a soft squeeze, causing her to jump in surprise. She doesn't recoil from me, however. Perhaps she secretly enjoys this, much like how I seem to enjoy it when she's angry.

We walk the rest of the way in silence. When we enter the room, I put away my homework and look towards the corner where Haruhi was sleeping earlier. She's still looking at me, huddled up in her blanket. I don't know if she's suspicious, or just watching me.

I stare back for a bit, and soon she turns her sight away. However, she also shifts aside from the corner. "Want to sleep here?"

I don't answer; I just walk over to the spot that she offered me and sit down, leaning against the wall. She surprises me, however, by sitting between my extended legs and letting her body rest against mine before wrapping the sleeping bag around the two of us. "You have no problem with this?"

"As long as touching is kept to a minimum, then it will be okay."

"What if I get a boner? You didn't seem to like it when I was pushing it into your back."

"Maybe I'll take care of it for you."

"Don't mind if I do then."

"With a stake." I can't help but wince. Even if my body will most likely be able to withstand it, it's still not a pretty picture.

"Well," my arms circle around her and pull her closer towards me, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I better hold onto you tightly so you won't escape and grab one from the drawer." Maybe it's because the situation is similar to what happened not too long ago, but I feel myself hardening again.

She grumbles again. "You're such a pervert."

"You're such a beautiful girl. Just try to ignore it and I'm sure it will go away eventually. Or you can give it your full attention to make it go away sooner." She merely grumbles to herself and says nothing. Soon, she falls asleep. I find myself playing a bit with her hair and neck before finally letting myself get some rest.

It's been a long night. Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

…

Damn it, Haruhi, you owe me a blowjob.

* * *

I feel like as I write and think more and more for this story, I realize how glaringly different this may be at the very end. I'm kinda jittery to get at it, but it'll have to wait for now.


	8. Chapter 7

Well, another week or so has gone by and I decided that I should try to finish this as soon as I can to avoid getting bogged down by classes. Since I've become paranoid about quality, I ended up checking this over again and again and making revisions as I went along. Perhaps it's a good thing.

Hidden Lostar: I didn't exactly expect for this to become M-rated so quickly, although perhaps I should have. Vampires and romance are often connected to each other by nature of the genre. As for losing reviews because it's M-rated, it's not something that I worry too much over. While I like reviews (like any other author), I don't think that I'm driven by them. I write because I like to write, particularly for this story.

Magnificate: Some would argue that vampirism and romance/sex go hand in hand. But yes, while there are adult-oriented scenes, plot should be the driving factor in most stories. Don't worry though, we should be through with that for now, although you'll have to endure one more small portion.

kinda?: Indeed, that would be true, but Kyon has essentially lost much of his feelings for her (if not in the anime, then at least in here). As for Haruhi being out of character, I feel that character actions and emotions can't just be viewed as a single unchanging set of adjectives. As time goes on, events occur that change how the character views certain things and actions. This in turn affects what actions they will take themselves. In a sense, I believe that the characteristics of a person is ever changing, even if it is slow or not visible at times. In this case, it could be said that when Kyon missed the date, she became wary of him and now has to overcome her own fear of getting hurt by him again.

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

* * *

Chapter Seven

It's blue.

Very blue.

Too blue.

It's cold. My chest hurts. My body hurts. My everything hurts. Something is tangling my legs. There's something on top of me.

Is it a blanket? I struggle to stand. Whatever is on top of me falls to the ground and there is a tearing sound. It's so loud I wince even harder than before. Eventually I feel myself on two feet and stumble towards what looks like a door.

This isn't my room. Where am I? I fumble for the knob before finally finding it and opening the door. I fall through it, causing more bodily pain.

I'm in a long hallway... empty. So blue… and long. I hear something. Something loud and banging. I stumble towards the source.

Ow… floor… must crawl…

"Kyon?" a voice. I look up, but I only see gold… it looks like a person… a man. "What happened to you?"

The gold… it's so bright… and I'm so thirsty… I must have some. I crawl closer and the figure backs away.

Stop moving! My hand shoots out, grabbing a hold of… of… something and pulls it closer. He backs away and something hits my head, causing pain to shoot through me. So this one can fight back…

"What's wrong with you?"

I leap. We collide and roll down something. It hurts more, but I have the gold man in my grasp. I must drink. I must drink! I-

"Get off of me! What the fuck are you doing?" Something hits me again… an arm? A fist?

…Whatever. I grasp the wrist and close my hand over it. Another hand comes out and I catch it. I slam his hand into the wall.

He's screaming. My other hand starts to close on his wrist. And it keeps closing… and closing. It's slippery. Something is coming out of him. I keep closing. He's screaming louder now.

Something crunches beneath my grip. He's still screaming. But it's just noise. Just noise.

I lean in and bite his neck. It's sweet. He's still screaming, but there's less and less now. I close my eyes and drink deeply. Eventually, he stops struggling as I continue to freely drink.

The pain is fading. The harsh noise is fading. The blue is –

"Fuck!" I push back and hit the side of what appears to be the stairs. I wish I hadn't, though, because now I can see the body.

There is a deep hole in the wall dripping blood. I can see one hand crushed into a small pile of flesh in the back of it. Both of the arms end at the wrist. The other hand is disconnected and lying a few stairs below.

I can feel the contents of my stomach beginning to churn. I try to hold it down, but my gaze is being drawn to look at the face. When I do, however, I lose all control.

I rush off to the closest bathroom and move to the sink. I close my eyes as I empty my stomach again and again. I can't stop vomiting. I want to stop, but I can't stop. Nothing is even coming out of my mouth anymore, just dry heaves.

Taniguchi. I killed Taniguchi. In the state of my madness and bloodlust, I killed him to satiate my hunger. When I look in the mirror, I see his blood all over my clothes and face and hands. I would have thrown up again if I could have, but my body is just too tired now. I clean myself as best as I can, but the bloodstains on my clothing won't be going anywhere.

And where are my pants? I have my boxers on, but I would prefer to be seen, blood or not, with my pants on. The only other place they would be is the club room, but why were my pants off in the first place? I'm sure that I had them on when I went to sleep, and when I lost… lost control of myself back at home I didn't tear my pants. So something must have happened to my pants while I was sleeping…

Enough of that. I head to the entrance, but carefully look both ways to make sure no one is there. When it's clear, I head out and head to where I woke up. I enter the room and shut the door behind me. Turning around to face the area, I notice that nothing is out of the ordinary save the corner with the sleeping bag. It's tossed aside and lying nearby are two pieces of clothing that look suspiciously like two halves of one pair of pants.

So that's what the tearing noise was.

It's past noon now, meaning that lunch has just started. Someone is going to find out and no one will be coming to my aid. My father called in a difficult favor last night, but I doubt that they're willing to pull a second one for him, especially in broad daylight. All evidence points to me. I just want to forget this all happened. Forget that I killed Taniguchi, forget that I stayed at school for the night, forget that I'm a vampire.

I sit down in the corner and wrap the open sleeping bag around me. I just want to rest and hide from the world in my sleep, maybe dream of something nice, but my body won't let me. Too much has happened and my mind can't rest.

I have to get out of this school. Somehow I have to hide the clothes, get into something clean, and get out of here. I begin to scan the objects in the room. Everyone has already left a long time ago. They must have chosen not to stir me awake. Or the two of us awake. I don't know when Haruhi left, but she left without waking me as well.

In terms of clothing, the only things here are Asahina-san's outfits. And they're all girl costumes as well, save one: a giant frog costume from when we worked for a mall, or something. There is no way that I'll be going in that, though. I have a bit more pride than that.

Maybe I can just sneak out somehow. But I would need to not only watch the hallway I plan to enter, but also the hallway I'm in. It would be too hard. But there must be some way for me to stay out of sight.

For every moment I plan, I lose time to get out of here. Any moment there could be a scream and then police sirens will follow up shortly afterwards. The building would be locked down and there would be a ground-up search.

It looks more and more like going as a giant frog is my way out of here. Forget about pride, this is survival. Removing it from the rack, I take the torn pants and toss them inside, as well as my bloodied shirt and jacket. I then toss in my school bag, making sure that everything is still in one piece. Now to just get into-

"There you are, Kyon, how come… Why are you in your boxers?"

It's Haruhi. Of all the people, it's her. For a moment I freeze before my brain begins to work again. Turning around, I reach out to her arm and pull her in.

"Kyon, what are you-"

Time has come for me to be the hot blooded male. I gently, but firmly, hold her shoulders against the wall next to the door before letting my hands move down to her waist and I kiss her, silencing her surprise. I let my tongue do battle with hers until she relents and pulls herself away from me. Somehow her hands have maneuvered onto my shoulders and she's breathless.

"You could say that I was waiting for you to come back."

"Kyon, you-"

Kiss.

"But where are your-"

Kiss with a side of tongue.

"The teacher-"

Tongue with a side of kiss.

"A quiz! There was a-"

Kiss, kiss, and kiss, all of them wet and hot. By now I can say that I've staked my claim inside her entire mouth, twice. This time, she doesn't say anything afterwards. Her breath is heavy and she's staring at me like I'm the only thing that exists right now.

One of my hands slips down the back of her skirt and squeezes her hip while pulling her closer to me at the same time. She offers no resistance as my hand travels to the front and goes beneath her underwear, slowly approaching her opening once again.

I can hear her rapid heartbeat and that smell from last night is coming back. Her cheeks are red and I feel like I can get away with anything. She's mere putty in my hands. After being controlled by her for so long, I have begun to relish the feeling.

I want her. I want her so badly, but going too quickly destroys relationships and the situation is dangerous. I'll just have to settle for something smaller for now. My free hand grasps hers and moves it down to my hardened member, letting her touch it through the fabric. Not content, she fumbles for the opening before pulling it out and slowly stroking my full length.

Perhaps I was too scared last night to realize it, but this feels _good_. Good and at the same time it's filling me with anticipation and a bit of anxiety. I give a low moan, but I make sure that I'm not the only one making noise here. Done with toying, my fingers slip low enough to play with her opening once more.

We kiss and I begin to think, now that I've momentarily disabled any type of threat she could have posed to my escape. The best case scenario is to get her to leave the room and then simply slip out while she's busy. But what if she finds the body? She would run back to this room, meaning that I would have to get away as quickly as possible.

But what if I can't get her to leave? I can't just say that I'm going to the bathroom in a frog suit. Maybe I could say that I lost a bet that forced me to go around in a frog suit for the day. Then she would ask me with whom did I make the bet and over what. Maybe I'll say that it was over seeing whether-

Oh, found it again.

Haruhi arches her body. I start to play with the particular point once more and I watch with pleasure as she slowly begins to lose her composure. Her breath quickens, her moans are heavy, and her cheeks are a flushed red. Her eyes are closed and one of her hands is wrapped around my body. Her other hand freezes in place and is tightening its grip. I remove it from me to place it on my shoulder.

Putty in my hands. I slowly intensify my actions until she's overwhelmed, shaking uncontrollably and crying out loud. I love her voice when it's like this. She sounds so hopelessly lost in pleasure, and it begs me to keep going until it's all over.

She's leaning heavily on me. She says nothing, as if stunned by what has happened. Her heartbeat is slowing down, but that smell is still all over the place. I withdraw my wet hand and begin to kiss her. Slowly, she begins to react again, being drawn back down into this world.

One of her hands moves back down to my member again, grasping it and beginning to stroke. Her fingers are delicate, going at a deliberately slow pace. She doesn't show any sort of hesitation. I can hear her heartbeat as well as mine. Both of them are flitting about. I don't care that I'm practically naked in front of her, and she doesn't seem to care either. Her head rests on my chest, and I'm sure that she can hear my heart and feel my chest rise.

... Wait a minute. "Haruhi," I speak slowly, "did you do something with my pants while I was sleeping?" Now that I think about it, this is the only way that it makes sense. I don't remember doing anything to remove my pants last night, so someone had to have moved it for me. The others wouldn't have done it, particularly after seeing how Haruhi announced our relationship status. Asahina-san is too afraid to do anything while Nagato has always preferred to maintain a position of neutrality in almost all situations. And god forbid that Koizumi did something, although he has always struck me as one of the asexual type.

She doesn't say anything.

"I found that they had been… tampered with." I don't exactly know what state that they were in, but what I said is still the truth. "Perhaps you were having some naughty fun of your own."

"I was curious, I guess," she stammers out.

"You should have just asked." Never mind the condition I was in. "If you were going to give me a blowjob, I would like to be awake at the very least."

Her body jerks a bit. Jackpot.

"How about you just owe me one?" I whisper to her. It's a shame that I can't see her face.

"I won't hear the end of it unless I give you one, right?"

"Maybe."

She grumbles and starts stroking harder. Fine then, whatever she wants I can deal with. For now I can settle for thi-

She begins to lower her body. I can't help but feel anxious as I realize she's settling into a kneeling position and staring at my hardened member. My heart begins to bang against my ribs as I realize that I'm about to get a blowjob from Haruhi. Her mouth widens and moves closer to the tip, but for some reason she stops short. "Something wrong?"

She looks upward. "Don't look."

"Well, I did that last time. I kind of don't want to miss it this time."

"Kyon," she's sort of sputtering, "I can't do it if you're watching."

"Why not?" She's embarrassed. Her cheeks are burning red and the moment she meets my gaze she looks away. Maybe it's because it's the middle of the day and I can actually see it clearly. Granted, I could have seen it just as clearly in the dark of night as well.

"I don't know, I just can't." Her voice is hurried.

Hmm. "Fine." I close my eyes. "But then you have to swallow." A compromise.

"What?"

"All of it. Or as much as you can, whichever comes first."

"Kyon, you can't be-"

I open one eye and stare at her.

It's a long pause before she says something. "Fine…"

I close my eyes and shortly afterwards I can feel her breath on me. She first doesn't do anything, instead only giving slow but firm strokes.

"I'm serious. Don't look, okay?"

"Got it."

I feel her mouth softly close around the top before slowly beginning to move up and down.

Wow…

This… this is great…

And she's still… ahh… stroking…

Taking her time with it… but I think that's okay…

Wish she'd go deeper… can't complain though, this feels…

Feels…

Yeeaaaahhhhhh……

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

GOD FUCKING DAMN IT.

Yet another bloodcurdling scream interrupts what could have been a wonderful moment. Perhaps it's for the better that we're rudely interrupted and brought back to reality, but I'm still annoyed beyond reason. It's happened not once, but twice. I swear, if it was Asahina-san again…

"Sorry Kyon," she knows I'm angry, but she doesn't sound sorry, "but it looks like we'll have to cut this short." In fact, she sounds relieved.

I should just let her do me first from now on. She leaves me and begins to move to the door. With her gone, that means I can slip into the frog suit and get away. But… damn it, Haruhi, you still owe me a blowjob, and I won't let it rest until I get it.

"I'm going to see what's happened. Stay here." She takes off in the direction of Taniguchi's body before I can say anything. Every ounce in my body wants me to stop her, but I choose to push the urge away. Making sure that all of my clothes are inside of the frog suit, I quickly climb in and head out of the door.

Before I put on the top though, I close my eyes and listen.

I hear hurried voices talking. They're talking about what's going on inside this building. That means most of the student body has been notified and kept out of the structure. There are boots quickly pounding the floor and pavement as well as the clicking and clacking of heavy equipment, meaning that the local police or tactical force has arrived. The fact that they're already here and that I did not catch any sirens means that someone has already seen Taniguchi's body long before we heard the scream. They're hoping to get me by surprise.

I can't just walk out of this building now. I have to go to the roof. I open my eyes and put on the top of the suit. I quickly move towards the center stairs; I can hear police mutterings and radio noises coming from the sides of the building, meaning that they want to trap me or force me down to the ground floor. However, I don't think that they're expecting me to go to the roof.

I wish I could have heard Haruhi somewhere in the din of sounds. I can still smell her scent, but I can't trust it as much as my ears right now. I don't understand how to use it yet, and at most I can only use it as a rudimentary tracking method. But I'm not trying to find her right now. I have to get out of here.

As I push open the door to the roof, the sunlight greets me with its harsh noontime rays. I can feel it beginning to warm up the suit I'm in, but I can't get distracted now. I quickly run to the other side and look over it. As I thought, there is an established perimeter around the building and no one is allowed in or out. Looking a bit past though, I see the school's border not too far.

It'll be like when I was getting over the wall at Haruhi's house. I try not to let my insecurities tie me down as I take a hold of one end of the chain link fence surrounding the rooftop and I begin to pull. The metal links shake, but soon begins to break. Eventually, there's a wide enough opening for a car to get through. I move back towards the entrance to give myself enough space to get a running jump and-

"Kyon? What are you doing up here?"

Shit. It's Haruhi. I've already frozen in place, so I can't act like she's got the wrong person. If only I had heard her footsteps coming up the stairs behind me. I take off the top of the suit and try to act surprised. "Haruhi, I thought you went to take a look at what the source of the scream was."

"I did," her voice falls, "and I saw Taniguchi's body."

"Why are you up here though? And how did you know it was me?" The police could be up here any moment now. There's too much wind, making it harder for me to pick up the footsteps.

"I noticed the suit when I first entered the room. When I was heading back to the room after seeing the body, I someone in the frog costume and guessed it was you. You headed upstairs and I followed you. Why are you even in the suit? I know you hate it." One of her hands grasps the other arm. She doesn't have that adamant aura around her. Instead, she's become insecure, similar to how she was when I visited her house a week ago. It's just between Haruhi and me now.

"I lost a bet." I look away from her. I must have been too focused on trying to hear the police to discern smell that she was nearby.

"A bet?"

"Yeah." I can't think of any sort of grounds for the bet to be about that wouldn't cause her to become angry. "I suppose that it's a bit convenient because of what's happened to my pants."

"Kyon, now's not the time to joke. Do you have any idea of what's happening? Come on, let's head back to the room. It'll look bad if we're caught up here."

"No!" fuck. I should not have said that, or at the very least not in that tone. She's going to suspect something. "I'm kind of afraid of how silly I'll look in this suit."

"Kyon, the entire school will probably be on edge very soon from now. They're not going to care very much about someone looking silly in a frog suit." I can hear her walking closer to me. "Kyon, it will be alright."

I have to stay on the rooftop. "No, no, even if that's the case, I still can't face them."

"If it's that bad, then we'll get your… your clothes…" she pauses. It's a long one, as if something has finally clicked in her head. "Kyon, you only had your boxers on when I first entered the room. Where are the rest of your clothes?"

"I…" for once my lies fail to come to me. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Her voice rises in anger, "How can you not know where your clothes are? I admit to tampering with your pants while you were sleeping, but what about the rest?"

I remain silent. I'm at a total loss of words. Why is it that it's so easy for me to conjure a lie for others, but I can't bring myself to say one to her?

She grabs my shoulder and turns me around to face her. "Are you hiding something from me?" her voice is low, but the threat is still there.

"Look, Haruhi, I don't know what-"

Suddenly, I'm not looking at her anymore. My sight has been redirected to the side of the fenced off roof. There's a stinging pain on my cheek and I must have dropped the top of the suit because it's not in my hands.

"You never had Guuricoccus."

I look back to her and see that Haruhi's face has contorted itself into one of anger. Her brows are furrowed and her eyes are almost narrow slits. "How did you find out?"

"My mother works in the hospital and I asked her to take a look at your medical record on Sunday." So that's why she couldn't meet with me on Sunday, which most likely caused us to have that dream again. "You haven't had a major sickness for the past few years. Otherwise, it would be on the file." She stares into my eyes. "What happened on that Saturday?"

I take a breath. I wasn't expecting Haruhi to become an overnight detective and try to sniff out my lies. Regardless, though, "I can't tell you," for your own sake.

"… Kyon…" her voice cracks.

"Haruhi, this-"

"Why can't you tell me?" she speaks slowly and quietly, but it doesn't mask her anger and sadness.

"If I could tell you, I would have as soon as I could." I walk up and put my hand on her shoulders. She shrugs them off and refuses to look at me, as if I am some repulsive object. She's about to cry any minute now, but she refuses my attempts at reconciliation.

There seems to be only one way to redeem this situation, but it must be done soon. The police are just a flight of stairs away from us. "Haruhi."

She makes no movement.

"Haruhi, do you remember what I said last week?"

"I don't want to hear it," she manages to mutter. She's about to start crying any moment now.

"I know that. So instead, I only have one thing to say." I put my hands on her shoulders, and this time she doesn't shake herself free. She slowly turns to look at me in the eye.

"What is it?" her voice is quiet.

"I know that right now you have your doubts about me. But…" my voice falls to a whisper, "believe in me."

I push her towards the door right as the police come onto the roof. I turn and run, picking up the top of the suit and covering my face with it. They don't even have a chance to say freeze before they have to catch Haruhi. I can't see whether or not she's looking at me, but I know she is.

I begin to pick up speed, running faster than I've ever gone before. I hear the police from behind yelling at me to stop, but I've already reached the opening. I throw all caution to the wind and jump.

* * *

A/N: You know, for the past three chapters I- oh wait, there's another one...


	9. Chapter 8

I do not own Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu.

Onward!

* * *

Chapter Eight

To call it flight would be incorrect. Flight is limited to birds, bats, insects, and machinations. Also, flight would mean that one had the ability to choose just how long he or she is in the air for. Finally, flight also implies that one has control over just how to come back down to land in a graceful manner.

I do not have the first two, but if I'm lucky I may get the last one.

But the feeling of flight is definitely there. I pushed off the rooftop with all my might and now I feel weightless. And I can see my house.

I look towards the ground and time seems to slow down. I can see heads of police turning towards me with their mouths open, stunned at the speed and distance I'm traveling at. I then turn towards the school building, and I can clearly make out and even recognize some of the faces of the students looking from the windows.

After some time of looking, I return my attention to the ground, noting that I am past the school boundary and have begun to descend. As the earth gets closer and closer, I move my body so that I land with a roll. And then I wonder why my legs are green and suddenly remember that I'm in a frog suit.

Time resumes its normal pace and while my form is right, it still doesn't stop me from rolling in a haphazard manner. My whole body is covered in pain, but I quickly get up and start to run, limiting myself to a slightly more humane speed. I need to get away from the school and I know that I can't return. Rumors spread fast. Considering how Haruhi and I will be the center of them, I can't take such a risk.

It would start with our disappearances. I would no longer show up at school and Haruhi would stop as well, as she's most likely being detained by police for questioning and placed under house arrest. Then they will start relating us to Taniguchi, and…

I don't want to think about Taniguchi. I don't even want to think.

…

Just keep running. Avoid being seen. Use sound to hear people. Climb over walls. It's an obstacle course and reaching home means I win.

I have to win.

…

I leap over a fence to hide behind and catch a breath. I take off the top. This suit is horrible. I'm sweaty all over, but it makes the air feel nice and cool.

I need to steal some clothes. The frog suit is too bright and easy to see. I begin to peak over the fence into yards, traveling through them and picking out a dark red t-shirt with darker blue sleeves and a pair of jeans. I quickly change and leave the frog suit on some unfortunate family's property. I forage through the items I brought with me and keeping only what I need, namely my cell phone, wallet, and keys.

I climb over the wall and return to the streets, looking very similar to a delinquent. Most people avoid me because they know that delinquents cause trouble. And nobody wants trouble. When people stare at me, I stare back and watch them avert their gaze.

Eventually, I arrive home. Unlocking the door, I enter and take off my – fuck. I have my school shoes on. I'll have to replace them eventually. They stand out too much. Maybe I could dye them…

I climb up the stairs and enter my room. I begin to grab everything that is important to me or will serve a useful function. That watch I got from my father's friend all those years ago. Sunglasses from who knows where. Clothes. Food. Cell phone charger. Small tools. Some writing materials. Flash light. All the money in my room, even the coins. The sterile mask from a week or so ago. Gloves. A thin black jacket. Face towel from the bathroom. Family picture…

On second thought, leave the picture behind. I can't – wait. Using a pair of scissors, I cut out the important parts and stick it in my wallet. I then grab the largest back pack I can find in the house and begin to put in as much as I can carry. Big things first, then smaller and smaller until I can fit no more. I put on the jacket and sunglasses and bring the backpack with me down the stairs. My eyes turn to the kitchen.

I should drink some blood, even if I hate it. I walk to the refrigerator and take out the carton, pouring the contents into a glass and quickly drinking it. I have another before putting it away and walking back to my stuff. I pass by the small memorial to my mother and realize that very soon, I will have disappeared from this place, leaving no trace behind.

…

…Disappear… hold on-

A hand forcibly turns me around while another holds me by my neck and lifts me up against a wall. Instinctively my own hands try to undo the hold on me, but I pause.

"I was wondering when you would come back," It's my father.

I kick and try to get him to release me, but nothing seems to work. In fact, I daresay that I may be at the hurting end of it. My mouth opens to speak, but only nonsense comes out. I can barely breathe as it is.

"So, even with the favor I called in, you still end up killing someone." He may not sound angry, but I know he is. "Do you know how hard your grandfather and I worked to keep this a secret? To fit into this god damn city? If people find out about us, we have to leave everything behind and run." His grip tightens on my neck. "This was our home. I fed you, I gave you clothes, I gave you an allowance. And this is how you repay me?" The edges of my vision are beginning to fade. It's getting harder and harder to move.

But then he lets go. I come crashing down to the floor, gasping for air and moving away from him. For a moment, I wondered why he didn't just finish me. I had violated the rules of secrecy, but I realized that I already knew the answer. I slowly turn to face him, his eyes boring into mine.

"Dad…" I manage to croak out, "you killed Mom, didn't you?" I shouldn't ask now, but I want to know. I have to know.

It is as if he aged instantly.

"You can't kill me, because I remind you of her." Things have slowly begun to fall into place now. "Mom did something that forced you to kill her. That neck thing we all share. She acted upon it for some reason, and you had to kill her. She was having an affair, and you found out."

He says nothing, and I continue "You said she died in a car accident, but it was no accident. You killed her beforehand, then pushed the car off a mountainous highway in a snowstorm and made it look like one. The police couldn't find her because she was never in there to begin with. Later, you also made that man disappear as well."

Then the heaviest truth hits me. "My sister… she's my half sister, isn't she? You couldn't kill mom because she was pregnant and your morals went against it, so you waited until she gave birth and then killed her afterwards. Somehow you knew that the child in her wasn't yours."

There is a long pause before he speaks again, "Leave." It is a command. I thought he would go on and explain just what happened behind to my mother, but instead the single word strikes fear in me. It's not a loud voice, but a quiet one that instill fear. "You are no longer welcome here. From this day forth, I have no son."

I don't need another warning. I grab my backpack and school shoes and get out the door. It slams shut behind me and I begin to contemplate whether or not I made the right decision in saying all of that. Regardless, though, it's impossible to turn back. I put on my shoes, straighten the clothes that aren't mine, and begin heading towards the train station.

My next destination is the temple my family frequented. If my guesses are correct, then the fact that my father knows the high priest means that that man is also involved. He said himself that he knew of our vampirism some time ago and said that he presided over the wedding and the turning. My father must have informed him of the deed at some point in time.

My mother 'died' when I was seven. She cared for me and generally appeared happy around me, but what a child sees amounts to little when it comes to finding out her true nature. That priest must know something. He mentioned my mother, but didn't mention anything about her disappearance. It could not have been orchestrated by just one person, even if he's stronger than the average man. He has to hide it from officials and also find away to break it to the in-laws if necessary. What better way to do this than to contract help from someone that you can overpower and comes with the connotation of a holy man?

I'm deep in thought, but at the same time I'm not lost to the environment around me. As I ride the train, I can feel eyes staring at me. I'm an unusual sight to behold. A high school student looking like a runaway, along with some bruises on my neck. I put up my jacket collar to try and hide them, but I doubt that it does a good job of it. My sunglasses may hide my gaze, but I'm watching those who are looking at me. If they stare too long, I find myself turning towards them. Our sight connects for only a moment and it doesn't even look like I'm staring at them, but it's enough to get them to turn away. I would not be surprised if I look suspicious, but there is nothing I can do about it.

My phone rings and I take it out. It's Haruhi. For a moment, I contemplate picking it up, but I decide against it. It keeps ringing, and eventually stops. She must have been allowed her phone call if she's being questioned. Even though it would endanger my family, I hope she talks. It would be better for her to do it and remain safe.

The train comes to a stop and I get off. I leave the station and begin to climb the stairs that I'm too familiar with, and the back of my mind plays out what my father could have done so long ago. When I reach the top, I take off my sunglasses and put them away before asking for the high priest. I feel anxious about what I'm about to say, but it's something that I have to do for myself.

Eventually, the old man comes to see me. "It is good to see you again, Kyon. How are you today?" He has a smile on, but I doubt it will last for long.

"I see that you are alive and well," I want to keep communication to a minimum. Even if he is my father's friend, the idea of a corrupt monk sickens me. "But I don't want to waste time. I'm here for… business." I lean in and my voice lowers.

"Business?" I can see his smile slowly disappearing and his brows furrowing.

"It's about my mother. You had a hand helping my father deal with her body, did you not?" His face remains unchanged, but he keeps silent. "You knew about our family for some time and my father asked you for help. Where is she?"

He takes a breath, and exhales. "Your father and I did not expect to have to show you the truth at this point in time. For you to already know that she was murdered, I would assume that it is now time to show you the reason why your grandfather befriended me."

He begins to walk away and I follow him silently. We go through the main temple, past the bench where we first talked and walked down a pathway ending with a view of the city. He continues, however, and takes a slightly worn path that no one else takes, perhaps out of respect for the shrine grounds. It then curves down and behind the cliff that is shaded by a tree growing sideways.

He stops in the darkness and turns to me. "Your grandfather knew that with extensive tests to see causes of death, your existence as vampires was threatened. He paid us to construct a grave, but left the truth to your father to explain to me."

Beneath the tree is a large stone that looks like it can easily be moved by me. I say nothing as I begin to push it aside, revealing a tall entrance. It's dark inside, but I can see clearly in the dim light. First I pass a male body that must be my grandfather. However, I see that he looks too young and is dressed too young to be one. The body has begun to decay, but at a very slow rate. The skin is only beginning to turn color at the hands. If not for the bruise around the neck, I would have assumed that the person is merely sleeping and not dead for so many years.

"I'm sure your father has told you this, but at some point in time, your body will stop aging."

I had always thought that my father looked young. "So… we're immortal?"

"Precisely. Your grandfather had been running from town to town throughout his life. When I first saw him, I thought he was your father's brother. He tired of it and had his son suffocate him, the easiest way to be killed."

I move on to the next body and gaze at the body of my mother. The priest says nothing more, as everything there is to know is already known to me. So I was right. My father did kill her, also by asphyxiation. He was tired of killing those he knew and loved, and thus I was spared.

I have seen all I want to see. I thank the priest and leave the shrine, taking first train available to the next closest city. I don't even know where I'm going, or how I will survive in the new city.

When I arrive, I wander around, ignoring phone calls throughout the day. Darkness falls and I eat some of the food I brought before wandering some more until I find an overpass. I go beneath it and do my best to make myself comfortable on the cold concrete. When I finally lay still, the day began to catch up with me.

To think that just twenty four hours ago, I was still a high school student. Now I'm just a homeless teenager with a better chance of survival compared to the other ones. I killed my best friend, endangered Haruhi, and have been disowned. Life has never looked so bleak before.

I cry before falling into an uneasy sleep.

---

When I wake up, it is night time, but the light is strange here. There is no moon and there are no stars, but there is some sort of light that is almost unnatural. I look around and realize that I'm no longer underneath the busy bridge, but that I'm back at school, sitting on the soccer field. I get off the ground and look at my clothes. Sure enough, I'm wearing the school uniform.

I should have expected it after such an incident, but once again I'm in the Closed Space, and I have a feeling that Haruhi is nearby. Between being held and interrogated by the police, the scolding I'm sure she's gotten from her parents, and most importantly my escape and disappearance from her life, such a result seems almost natural.

For the two times that I've been here, I've had to do something to free ourselves from this plane of existence. The first time, I admitted that I liked her. The second time, she realized something when I raped her.

I'm almost scared of what I'll do when I see her again. And what is it that Haruhi wants this time? Last time I was lucky that my instincts were in the right direction, but this time Koizumi and Nagato isn't here to guide me. I would have to find Haruhi and see just what she wants, but I feel that there is nothing I can give to her after all this.

"Kyon!" it's Haruhi. I turn around to see that she's running at me before coming to a stop. "There you are."

"You sound relieved to see me." I did put her through quite a bit.

"After seeing you jump off the school roof, of course I was worried!" she puts her hands on her hips and begins to stare at me with an angry look, ignoring the fact that I'm taller than her. "What's worse is that you left me to the police."

"How did that go?"

"Terrible."

"Did you talk about me?"

Her voice kicks up a notch. "Of course not! You told me to believe in you, right? And how did you make that huge jump anyway?"

I remain silent. I can't tell her what I really am, even if she knows that I'm something else. She saw me leap off the building at such an incredible speed and she knows that this ability of mine is somehow related to last Saturday. If she weren't detained by the police, I would have told her immediately. But I want to protect my family, even if they're not anymore.

"Whatever," she walks towards me. Grabbing my hand, she starts to drag me along with her. "There's got to be away out of here somewhere."

"It would only be more trouble for you. You should just tell the police what you know."

She stops in her tracks and turns around. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. It's for your own good." I wouldn't spill a single word against my family. If she talks, then at the very least Haruhi would be out of trouble.

"Kyon, I'm not about to rat out a member of my club, especially not you." She begins to drag me along again. "You're the most interesting person I've run into in my entire life. I don't intend to just give you up so easily. And I don't think you want to just give up on our relationship, right?"

She has me there, although I don't know if I can be called a person anymore. Before I can think of an answer, though, there is a dreadful roar and a bright light forms behind me. I turn to look and see that the giant beings, those Celestials, are beginning to rise from the ground.

"Kyon, we have to get away from them! I don't know why, but something tells me that they're dangerous." She runs now, continuing to drag me with her. "We need to find a way to get back to our world, not this one."

Our world. The real world, where everything exists as it should be, but where my life is ruined. As Koizumi said to me, I exist in this space because I was chosen by Haruhi. Perhaps that fateful choice of talking to her when I began high school made her pick me.

I start to realize just what it is that Haruhi wants. She wants to be together with me, regardless of what's happened in our world. When I kissed her, back when we first appeared here, it was a sign that I held interest in her and it prevented the restructuring of the universe. When I raped her, she somehow realized that despite the pain and the hurt we were still together and accepted what I was doing. Only when something threatens our relationship does this Closed Space appear to try and force me to amend my actions and convince her that we're still together. And if I were to fail, then the world will be remade, perhaps to one where we can be together.

The world remade…

Visions of what happened today flash before my eyes. I have nowhere to go and no future to pursue in the old world and I find myself letting go of her hand. When she realizes that I'm no longer holding onto her, she stops and turns to me.

"Kyon, what's wrong? Don't you want to return to our old world?"

I stand up straight and look at her. "No."

Her lips begin to turn into a frown and her eyes begin to slowly fill with water. I can clearly see that she's on the verge of crying, but she doesn't want to. "What about the SOS Brigade, the club that we made! Doesn't it mean anything to you?"

The club doesn't matter to me anymore. Even if I keep the world from being remade, I have nowhere to go. I may never see Haruhi again. I would have to live on the streets in a new city and I doubt that I will somehow get enough money to rent out even the smallest apartment to live in. I'm sure that Haruhi will make such a thing possible and I will somehow see her again, but I still fear the difficulty of waiting for it to occur.

"I don't want to go back."

"What are you talking about?" she almost can't believe what she's hearing. "You'd leave your family and friends behind? Don't you want to see them again?"

I don't even want to answer.

"What about me? Are you going to leave me behind, too?"

"Haruhi." I slowly walk up to her and gently begin to wipe away the fresh trail of tears on her cheeks. I then softly kiss her, hold her close to me and stroke the side of her neck. Perhaps I'm just selfish, but even I couldn't think of a world without her.

One of my hands moves away, balls into a fist, and delivers a swift strike to her abdomen. For a moment, her surprised look stares back at me before her eyes close and her body turns limp. I catch her before she falls to the floor and pick her up with two arms. Then I begin to walk in the direction of the Celestials, who have begun to level the city.

In this world, my blood along with other events has prevented me from being with her. I know that I'm running away from my problems, but I effectively have nothing. There are no guarantees about what the new world will be, but as person who has lost everything it's a risk that I'm willing to take. We may not be at the same place when this is all through, but sooner or later I'll find her. Maybe it was the way Koizumi phrased it when I first appeared in this place, but the fact that I was chosen by Haruhi means to me that in the end we'll be drawn to each other despite the conditions we're in.

And when the time is right, I'll turn her.

As I draw near to the giants, one of them takes notice of me. It turns to face me and begins to swing its arm down. I watch the appendage as it descends, tightly cradling Haruhi's form amidst the rapid beating of my own heart.

The new world awaits.

* * *

End Part One

* * *

A/N: You know, for the past three chapters I essentially knew just how this was going to end. While some of you probably disagree with how this came to a close, in reality this is only a portion of the story. It felt proper to end this portion here and I will most likely continue this with another story, given the context of how this ended.

As for a more important question that some of you have been asking or wondering about: Why does Kyon seem to be a bit out of character at times? While it's quite a question to answer, my original goal in this story is to change him. As one person put it, I was "gradually changing his character in a believable manner." As the story went on, particularly towards the end, we see that he becomes a bit manipulative, particularly in his relationship with Haruhi. In fact, it could be said that, at the very end, he had become obsessed in his relation with Haruhi. Whether it was successful or not comes down to personal taste, but the attempt is there. Like I said, this story doesn't fall under horror as much as it falls under dark.

Where the story goes now is generally questionable. I know what I want to do, but there are still a lot of situations and possibilities that need to be given much thought.

Also, the reason why this is a double update is because It's the end of the portion and I don't know how long it will take for me to get started on the second part. Therefore, it felt right to do so. Hi Hikaru1223.

Until next time.


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